who they\u2019ve named \u201cStevie\u201d<\/a> \u2013 and on Saturday they gave an update \u201con our friend the sea lion who had spent about a week with us in the Petaluma Turning Basin as well as upstream, and downriver near the Sheraton and the Petaluma Marina.\u201d<\/p>\nAccording to the Floathouse, \u201cWe spoke with the Marine Mammal Center on Friday, June 27, and they said that their attempt to rescue the sea lion indicated to them that it is in good enough shape to swim, and seemed healthy, so rather than subjecting the animal to the trauma of rescue, which is only done in extreme cases, they determined that it should be left alone and expect that it will probably find its way back to the Bay.\u201d<\/p>\n
They added that there is no further need for locals to call the Marine Mammal Center \u2013 the Sausalito-based nonprofit staffed by marine biologists ready to help local sea life in need \u2013 since \u201cthey\u2019ve been informed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another chronicler of Stevie the sea lion is local photographer Frank Blue, who has been watching and photographing it since its arrival in mid-June.<\/p>\n
Regarding the animal\u2019s health, \u201cThere’s been mixed talk,\u201d Blue told the Argus-Courier on Monday. \u201cI spoke with another tech yesterday that witnessed him coughing. There’s also noticeable new white crust around his eyes. It’s a waiting game. He’s healthy enough to swim is what I got from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
However long the animal decides to stay in Petaluma, he said, \u201cThey’ll be monitoring it, as will I since I live nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sick or not, locals have been charmed by the creature since its arrival in mid-June, prompting clusters of onlookers and plenty of online postings.<\/p>\n
Debra Amador DeLaRosa said she and her husband were practicing yoga on the evening of Sunday, June 22 in the Yoga Post studio, which overlooks the river, when they saw the sea lion swimming by.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe shared a collective moment of awe,\u201d she said in a note to the Argus-Courier describing the cohort of yoga practitioners admiring the animal. \u201cIt made me think of what connects us all \u2014 a love and appreciation for nature and her glorious creatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three days later, volunteers from the Marine Mammal Center came to Petaluma to capture the animal \u2013 but finding that it was strong and swift enough to evade them, they called off the effort.<\/p>\n
Though they didn\u2019t capture Stevie, their trip wasn\u2019t wasted, as Floathouse staff got them to talk about it to a group of fascinated youngsters.<\/p>\n
\u201cA volunteer from The Marine Mammal Center who had been called in by us and others who have been keeping tabs on our visitor took time to speak with our Small Boat Summer Campers, who got a meaningful lesson in marine wildlife care,\u201d the group reported.<\/p>\n
Argus-Courier Staff Writer David Templeton contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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