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Mike Humfreville
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Sea Lion Pup
Sea Lion Pup
I learned to fish in the ?70?s, by following the example of a friend, Jimmy Gallo. The only place we fished was Bahia de Los Angeles and it doesn?t
take more than a couple of weeks to get familiar with the many off islands and favorite fishing locations. We?d cruise along in my 14-foot tin boat
with its 15 horse outboard pushing us through water at trolling speed. In those years it seemed like the few people fishing there were trolling.
We had a pattern, not intentionally set, where we set out about sun up from La Gringa and headed out between Isla la Calavera and the south point of
Smith?s. We usually stopped for a moment or two at Calavera to watch the sea lions cavorting on the surface of the water. From there we?d head up
the west coast of Smith?s trolling. We?d pass down the east side, motor into a small bay there and try dropping down, usually caught nothing, then
powered up again and continued down to Piojo and south.
Somewhere inside a summer in the late ?70?s we were trolling near the center of Smith?s west side and Jimmy got a hookup. I shut the engine down and
he reeled in a nasty barracuda. As Jimmy pulled the fish near the boat we noticed another disturbance in the water. A sea lion pup popped up and was
obviously pursuing the fish Jimmy had caught. We had to bring the fish into the boat quickly or the sea lion would get it. And the lure to boot.
We hauled in the fish and the pup backed off to what he figured was a safe distance from the boat, about 10 feet. He barked and splashed the water
and it was apparent he really wanted that fish. Well, we didn?t like beri?s anyway, they?re slimy and gunk up the boat. Jimmy threw the fish to the
pup, who grabbed it and pulled up on the shore of Smith?s to chow down. We watched for a bit, wondered what gave him the nerve to approach humans so
closely. Soon we were continuing our fishing and then it was back to camp.
The next day we followed our established pattern. When we neared the place where we?d encountered the sea lion the day before we reeled in and
stopped. I guess we missed the little fella. We waited for only a minute and were about to fire the engine, when up popped the pup. He swam a 360
around our boat. We just somehow knew he was begging. Jimmy picked up another junk fish we had but didn?t want and held it out for the pup to see.
He came closer to the boat and Jimmy tossed him the fish. We noticed that one of his eyes was opaque. The pup swam off with his fish and we were
back underway.
This went on for the better part of a week. The pup was always in the same general area and we, out of habit, always passed the same place at the
same time. Every day he got friendlier with us and would come up to the side of the boat and bark for his dinner. Every day we threw him a fish.
On the last day of our vacation we followed our usual routine. By this point we pretty much knew the pup was going blind. As he?d come closer to us
daily we inspected his eyes and it was apparent there was something with both of them that wasn?t right. While I was somewhat disturbed to be feeding
a wild creature for a number of reasons, now I was glad. The pup couldn?t forage on his own.
Knowing this would be our last visit, we spent a few minutes and provided him our last meal. As we were pulling a fish from the stern, Jimmy holding
it up for the pup to examine, the pup jumped into the boat!
It blew us away and we scrambled to protect the pup from a string of lures we had suspended along the gunnels. We weren?t at all sure how the pup
would react to us with him in the same boat. Before we could clear the lures, he was into them and seconds later had snagged himself on several. We
tried to hold him still, covered him with a hemp bag and headed for shore just beneath the volcano.
We hit the rocky shoreline and I jumped out, pulled the boat up as far as I could. Jimmy lifted the pup out of harms way with all the scattered lures
and we laid him on the rocks and thought. He had three lures, one in an ear and two in his body. But they were all superficial. We decided we could
cut and plier them out without causing serious damage.
It took us about 20 minutes to extract all the hooks. The pup was mostly cooperative, almost as if he understood the problem, which of course he
didn?t. We got everything pretty much back to normal, released the pup and recovered the hemp bag. He was off in a flash, back to his habitual
places, I guess. He?d been through quite an ordeal.
In working on him up close it was clear that he was dying, from blindness we were sure. If he couldn?t see how could he catch fish? Which explained
why he was so willing to approach us and take chances he wouldn?t have under more normal times.
I?m sadly certain he died shortly after these events. While as a human I might call Nature cruel, if I look at things through the mind of the pup,
all I can see it the facts of life, no self pity, no remorse, just life as it is in the wild. In the long run, I was pleased we?d perhaps helped him
in his final days. I doubt he had other sea lions around him. Animals tend to chase off the sick and injured.
So maybe Jimmy and I are the only friends he had when his time came.
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Debra
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Thanks Mike....
enjoyed as always.
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Mike Humfreville
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Thanks Deb
You really would have loved Jimmy and his family. They were real New Jersy characters. He was a very fit high school gym teacher and always the
prototype. I've got some other memories about them. Pass the vino por favor.
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Eli
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Don Miguel, Certainly your story touched my heart and as I feel this tear run down my cheek, I am grateful for the opportunity to feel even if it is
sadness, I know that every day is a gift and a miricle and well worth the living of. I am so glad to know your sea lion thru your words, I am sure
knowing him was a great gift for you, even though there is the pain of confronting natures laws to have dealt with for doing so.
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Tio Rocky
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damn........ that was good reading.... Thank you!
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Mike Humfreville
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Thanks for kind words...
Eli,
Now that we've moved from "Circle of Life" to "Cycle of Life" I've been chewing on all that and working more toward "Spiral of Life." You know, like
an unending slinky that we used to play with as children.
What a trip!
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Eli
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Yeah Mike, I like the image of a never ending spiral, nothing final, going on and on is somehow a comforting thought. Besides, when you throw in like
a slinky it brings a grin in. Gracias, Sara
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mismisty
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Mood: Working again silly me, Remaxdelmar
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That was a great story and as an animal lover brought tears to my eyes. It was nice that you could befriend him in his last days.
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Mike Humfreville
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Sometimes, in life, you don't have options. We were somehow directed I think.
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woody with a view
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hey mike-
i'm sure that pup, in his own way, was as honored to know you fellas as you were to tell us about him
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Mike Humfreville
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Woody
I'm not sure he cared. He was dying and nothing reasonable would allow him to remain in his natural environment. But that was so many years ago and
I'm still carrying him with me and am a better person for it I hope It's not like we have a choice. It's just something we do without question.
Another "spiral of life" issue I guess. Most of us are born to protect innocense as best we can. Thanks for kind words.
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Eli
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O.K. Mike, I'll bite.
You gotta know I did consulte the pillow for a couple of nights before sticking this little bit of a thought into a most beautiful thread. Mike, I
agree with much of what you say, you know. Ah but, this issue of free will is valid and precious for me.
Examples: You could have chosen to "put the pup out of his misery" with a club on the head. You could have chosen to ignore him and take a different
route the next day, or you could a?.
I vote that we are the architects of our own destiny, certainly you would not be who you are today if you had taken a different approach of dealing
with that little guy, and I respectfuly love you for the path you chose. Ah but, heart and soul I do believe you did and always do have a choice. Just
like the choice as to if I were to reply to this tasty bait that you put out for me to argue or have the good sence to keep my trap shut on the issue
of free will.
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Mike Humfreville
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Eli,
No way I can address the issues of free will versus imposed destiny. That's pretty close to an argument within the formalized religion segment of
society.
But I was having a conversation with a friend over lunch today at JPL and telling her about your "cycle" concept and my thoughts that kept digging at
it and I was trying to expand and explain my point, and that helped me develop my thought a little further (it's not very deep, I'm afraid).
When we live life as a "circle" all things are closed upon the completion of a single revolution. When we live life as a "cycle" the implication is
that things don't just quit after a circle is completed but that they may or may not continue and who knows where.
The term "spiral" conjures up more yet. The spiral continues, unending, and everything we do with our lives, families, friends, educations, careers,
becomes integrated into the spiral. Everything that happens after we, each one of us, is a contribution to our universe and becomes part of the
whole.
A shell I found on a remote beach when Mary Ann and I lived in Bahia de Los Angeles in 1974: an animal had lived, grown the shell, consumed other
organic matter, died, washed onto my sand, been picked up and appreciated, placed back to nourish smaller animals I observed across several lazy days,
and been ground to sand by the waves, and on we go forever and ever. There is no end, just continuum. Everything we do counts and adds or takes away
from our endless spiral.
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Ken Bondy
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Mike these are tough issues
Wonderful story Mike. I have seen a few similar things in nature along the path my life has taken me. They stay with you forever. I was on a
multiday dive trip in the California Channel Islands (I think we were at San Miguel, and I think the boat was the PEACE, I think this probaly happened
25 years ago) and in the late afternoon, with most divers and all crew on deck, we watched in astonishment as a single Orca chased a CA sea lion pup
just off our stern. Amazingly, in its frantic effort to escape, the pup launched up onto the swimstep and looked up at the humans assembled a few
feet above. For an agonizing moment, a piece of time that seemed much longer than it was, all of us looked down into those big brown eyes, which
seemed to be asking for our help. We were frozen. Then the Orca eased itself up onto the swimstep, took the pup into its mouth, and eased back into
the water. We never saw either again. I know everyone who saw that has it etched forever in our memories. Should we have done something? I think
the general answer is emphatically yes. We didn't really have enough time in the instance I describe. But in general in these situations I think
the right thing to do is to interfere and help if you can. Screw the fact that Orcas eat sea lion pups all the time. I would have liked to have
saved that one.
++Ken++
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Debra
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Sara.....
I read your post and pondered what you were saying, I truly understand that to put an animal out of it's misery might be the way......Valid, valid
point. (we never want to see anyone suffering) Animal/human animal....sometimes we have no choise, sometimes we do.
The more I thought about it (both sides) the more I think that there was a reason that pup was there, and Mike and his friend were there also.....I
have to believe that in those last days that little pup, alone, sick, lost and hungry, Mom gone scared, (is that possible?, I think so) he found
these weird looking creatures (well Mike of course) that befriended him, fed him and he looked forward to seeing in his time of need, I have to think
that when he finally went, he at least had that comfort.
When I first read Mike's story I thought of something that happened to my son and I last summer. I didn't want to 'hi jack' Mike's thread, but, now
(forgive me Mike) I think a bit of cheer is okay.
Last summer at Gecko, Brendan and I were under the shade of the salt pine in front of the first cabin north of the boat launch..... Pelicans keep way
further down at the beach usually , I've never seen one come up that far unless someone was putting food out and there was a swarm of
them.......Anyway, I spoted this Pelican walking toward us (rouge Peli?....we had no food?) I barely had even a consious thought of him at
first.......I went back to chatting with Brendan......in a few moments Brendan says "Look Mom", I turn to look and this Pelican is about 15ft. from
me, and he's making eye contact, I realize something is weird but, I don't know what...., in my best "Grand-ma" baby voice I say, "Hi Baby" I'm cooing
at him....he comes running at me, he gets about 5ft. and stops....it's then that I realize what is wrong..he has a massive amount of fishing line
tangled aroud his feet......I coux him in, he comes closer, always making eye contact with me......Brendan is on the far side of me and still sitting
in his chair,....... being old....(not as old as Mike H.) and trying to gentally get out of a beach chair with the bird that close I didn't think was
the way to go, (I didn't want to spook him) so I told Brendan...."get up very slowly and see if you can get that fishing line off him" Brendan did as
he was told, started to rise and the bird freaked and started running for the beach, I yelled at Brendan "Get him, run! grab that fishing line if
you can, just stop him!, dive Brendan DIVE!" Brendan goes running and in a great foot ball like tackle somehow gets his hands on the trailing
line....and the Pelie is stopped.....almost at the same moment that I got there (stupid me I wasn't even thinking that my young son might be damaged
by this animal that is scared and hurt) a man came out of no where (he must have see what was going on also) with one of those 'fisher man' cutting
tools and gets the line off the bird, and the bird takes off in flight! I had no idea just how many people had been seeing this whole thing happen,
but there was a lot of "YEAHS!" coming from camp. Brendan came back with a mouth full of sand but a big grin on his face.
Why was I sitting there at that time? (I didn't normally, I like my porch)....., why did that bird decide that I was safe enough to ask for help? Why
was Brendan sitting with me at that moment with his swift 10yr. old feet? (normally he's off running around camp, not hanging out with Mom?....why was
the man with the cutting tool near and noticing? Don't know for sure, but I have an idea! It was just meant to be.....whomever our "God" might be,
we were all taught a lesson that day.
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Mike Humfreville
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Great story Deb. Your best ever in my opinion.
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Debra
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Well, that is high praise indeed......thanks!
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Mike Humfreville
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++Ken++
While I can't imagine what would give a sea lion, or your Orca or Deb's Pelican for that matter, the feeling that they could turn to humans for
protection. While it raises my hopes that we can all somehow fit on this small patch of Earth, it also makes me wonder just how fickle we can be. If
I am going to be trusted, I have to be worthy of that trust. I'm talking as a race, not as an individual.
This is a wonderful thread!
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David K
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Did your pelican look like this one?
Remember this friendly guy who just finished eating a squid at Las Animas?
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David K
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Here it is on Chris' lap!
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