Marin Rescue Fur Seal Pup ‘Ivy’ Recovering From Malnutrition

SAN RAFAEL, CA — After somehow surviving a harrowing ordeal, "Ivy" is making progress.

The northern fur seal pup rescued over the weekend in San Rafael is undergoing treatment for severe malnutrition and is responding well, according to the Marine Mammal Center.

Police rescued the pup Saturday near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in the area of East Francisco Boulevard and Grange Way on Saturday, according to the San Rafael Police Department.

The animal — first reported as an otter — flapped across a road and narrowly avoided being hit by cars, police said.

Ivy was rescued by the Marine Mammal Center and taken to their facility in Sausalito to be cared for, officials said.

It's not known how the pup made its way onto San Rafael streets.

“We hope Ivy will transition to eating whole fish and continue improving body condition (get chunky) over the next few weeks,” the MMC wrote on Twitter Friday morning.

“Then, our expert veterinarians can assess his readiness to return to his ocean home.”

Northern fur seals spend almost all of their time in the open ocean, coming ashore to breed or if they are sick, according to the Marine Mammal Center website.

Their range extends throughout the Pacific, from Japan to the Channel Islands of California, with main breeding colonies found in the Bering Sea.

Northern fur seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, with the eastern Pacific population listed as depleted.

The current population of northern fur seals is estimated at 1.1 million globally, but is declining, according to the Marine Mammal Center.

For the latest updates on Ivy’s condition, visit here.

— Bay City News contributed to this report