The Other Tutankhamun

Across the Golden Gate Bridge, through the fog bank and back in the Marin Headlands live the other Tutankhamun and Akenaten. Named for the ancient pharaohs, they are California sea lions that were rescued by the Marine Mammal Center (MMC) and suffer from serious health conditions or injuries. The MMC volunteers assign names to the sea lions and harbor seals brought to the Center for their care and often theme the names to newsworthy events or local happenings. My son is a volunteer at the Center and mentioned that Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs provided a wellspring of names for the rescued pinnipeds. Here are a few of their stories:

Tutankhamun, an adult male rescued in San Mateo County, suffered from a gunshot wound, a broken flipper and pneumonia. Sadly, like his pharaonic namesake, his wounds were too severe and he died too young.

Akhenaten’s story doesn’t end well either. This young California sea lion was rescued in San Mateo County and suffered from pneumonia and malnutrition, a prevalent condition among young sea lions this year because of an unusual shift in food sources in May and June. Despite the efforts of the veterinarians and volunteers of the MMC, he couldn’t be saved.

Happily, there is some good news…

Egyptian Goddess, an adult male rescued in Sausalito with wounds to his side has recovered and will be released back into the wild this week. Semerkhet, a juvenile male suffering from a bacterial infection was also released at the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Nephthys, a male pup, was rescued twice. The first time he was found sitting on a beach in San Francisco being petted by bystanders (something the MMC cautions never to do as it is not good practice to acclimate wild animals to humans). He was treated for malnutrition and released at the Farallon Islands. He soon made it back to Sausalito and restranded himself last week. He’s now being treated for malnutrition and should be released again soon.

The Marine Mammal Center is a nonprofit veterinary hospital, research and educational center dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of ill and injured marine mammals—primarily elephant seals, harbor seals and California sea lions—and to the study of their health. If you’d like to learn more about their good works and read more stories about sea lions currently at the Center, visit their website at: www.marinemammalcenter.org.