Pacific Marine Mammal Center

Pacific Marine Mammal Center is a rescue, rehabilitation, and release facility for sick or at-risk wild mammals in the Laguna Beach area. It was started by Jim Stauffer in 1971.

History

In 1971, Laguna Beach lifeguard Jim Stauffer was alerted of a Pacific Harbor Seal pup who appeared to be sick. Stauffer took the pup to an animal hospital, where it was discovered the animal had lungworms. Stauffer then nurtured the pup back to health and returned it to the ocean, after which he installed kiddie pools in his backyard and continued rescuing mammals in the Laguna Beach area. California Department of Fish and Game later issued a permit allowing Stauffer to temporarily house seals and sea lions at his home, the first of its kind in the state. From that, Friends of the Sea Lion, later Pacific Marine Mammal Center, was established.[1][2]

Friends of the Sea Lion created membership cards and sold T-shirts to raise money in its early years. Their first major donation came from a woman whose dog Stauffer rescued from a cliff at Three Arch Bay; the woman then donated $10,000 to Stauffer's organization.[3] In 1976, after the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals vacated their Laguna Canyon barn location, city leaders offered the site to Pacific Marine Mammal Center.[1] In 2023, the center began an expansion budgeted at $14 million ($14.8 million in 2025),[4] during which, many of their animals were temporarily transferred to SeaWorld San Diego.[4][5]

Stauffer died in 2021, after which, the center continued its operations.[1][2] In 2025, a domoic acid bloom caused an increase in the number of mammal strandings the center responded to, from 150 to 200 per year to 337 in six months.[6][7] In 2026, the center received media attention when it rescued a sick sea lion pup that had jumped onto a sailboat off the coast of San Clemente.[8] The sea lion, later named "Chump", was discovered to have pneumonia and be suffering from malnutrition.[9] The center received further attention later that week, when it responded to a dead 11-short-ton (10,000 kg) humpback whale that had washed up ashore in Newport Beach.[10][11][12] The center led the effort to dispose of the body;[13] however, carcass was eventually pulled out to sea by the tide.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Pacific Marine Mammal Center co-founder Jim Stauffer dies at 76". Laguna Beach Independent. October 28, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Ritchie, Erika I. (November 3, 2021). "Jim Stauffer, known in Laguna Beach as 'the sea lion guy', has died". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021.
  3. ^ Connelly, Laylan (November 4, 2016). "Here's the story about how one seal launched a crusade in Laguna Beach". Orange County Register.
  4. ^ a b Turner, Andrew (March 5, 2023). "Pacific Marine Mammal Center breaks ground on expansion project, eager to contribute to water conservation". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023.
  5. ^ Turner, Andrew (October 28, 2023). "Pacific Marine Mammal Center expects to move into temporary site in November". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023.
  6. ^ "Partner Spotlight: NOAA Volunteer Becomes TikTok-Famous Necropsy Biologist | NOAA Fisheries". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 7, 2025.
  7. ^ Handy, Shannon (April 24, 2025). "SeaWorld San Diego overwhelmed by calls amid unprecedented algae crisis". CBS News.
  8. ^ "Sea lion pup hitchhikes to safety". CBS News. February 13, 2026.
  9. ^ "Sick Sea Lion Pup Catches a Sailboat Ride". Laguna Beach Independent. February 13, 2026.
  10. ^ Keane, Isabel (February 19, 2026). "Dead, 11-ton humpback whale washes up on California beach". The Independent.
  11. ^ Dallow, Lily. "Dead humpback whale washes ashore at Newport Beach". KTLA. Archived from the original on February 21, 2026.
  12. ^ Miramontes, Génesis Miranda (February 19, 2026). "Dead whale washes ashore in Newport Beach". NBC Los Angeles.
  13. ^ Connelly, Laylan (February 19, 2026). "Dead whale washed up in Newport Beach near 11th Street". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on February 22, 2026.
  14. ^ Connelly, Laylan (February 20, 2026). "Dead whale in Newport Beach gone from shoreline, likely from strong surf overnight". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on February 20, 2026.
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