Lina

Lina arrived at Dolphin Research Center on January 13, 2011 fromthe Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) at Ft. McArthur in San Pedro, California, where she had been designated as a ‘repeat strander’ by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the MMCC. At the time she arrived at DRC, it was estimated that she was about 2.5 years old. 

Lina was initially stranded in Ventura County. She wasn’t sick, just small and underweight. She was released after fattening her up and she promptly re-stranded in Santa Barbara County. This time they took her off shore and released her in the Channel Islands about 26 miles off shore. She came back and had to be rescued again. She put more weight on, so they took her to Santa Barbara Island, even farther offshore. She was back on the shoreline the next day. She was fit enough to swim long distances, but she knew what she wanted. After her fifth release on Catalina Island, she stranded again ending up at the Marine Mammal Care Center. They also feel that being around people and begging may be what led to her smaller size. At about two and a half years old, she was only about 75 pounds.

She truly loves and enjoys people which may explain why she continually would journey long distances to be around them. That is also what helped shape Lina into the young sea lion she is today. If you ask her trainers, they will tell you that Lina didn’t know that she was a sea lion when she first arrived, but she believed she was a human; after some time she warmed up to the idea of being a sea lion. Lina also got a female friend shortly after she arrived at DRC when Diamond was adopted into the family. Diamond and Lina can be compared to sisters, always love each other but constantly bickering! Since we believe that Linas' growth may have been stunted due to her interaction with people, she is a much smaller sea lion than her age would suggest. Diamond and Lina are both about the same size with approximately four years separating them in age. Lina is a lighter shade of brown than Diamond, and when she lays out in the sun and dries out she becomes very blonde. Lina also has shorter whiskers on her face and overall smaller flippers. If you see Lina swimming around feel free to wave, she loves to wave at guests!