Slippery ‘Seaman’ : Navy Frogmen Attempt to Recapture a Trained Sea Lion That Went AWOL in Channel Islands

The Navy launched an all-out rescue mission off the Ventura County coast Tuesday for one of its own--an injured California sea lion named Pumpkin.

The sea lion, one of 125 sea mammals trained to recover dummy explosives during exercises by the Navy’s explosive ordnance detachment in San Diego, went AWOL during a routine training mission last week in the Channel Islands.

After a lengthy air and sea search, Navy personnel Tuesday found Pumpkin on Gull Island south of Santa Cruz Island, said Navy spokesman Tom LaPuzza.

“It’s one of our sea lions and we’re responsible for it,� LaPuzza said. “We won’t leave it behind.�

The sea lion, a male, was apparently injured in a fall from a 25-foot cliff when Navy rescuers approached the frightened mammal from the air. Rescuers stabilized the injured seal Tuesday afternoon and were awaiting an airlift from a boat off Gull Island when the 17-year-old sea lion broke loose from its harness and dived back into the sea, LaPuzza said.

Frogmen remained on the scene, attempting to coax Pumpkin back to the boat with bait. “At last report, Pumpkin was cavorting 300 yards off the shore,� LaPuzza said. “He apparently was not injured as seriously as we thought.�

The rescuers’ task was complicated after the harness--equipped with a locational beacon--came off, LaPuzza said. The harness is designed to break free after extended exposure to sea water so that escaped animals can survive.

LaPuzza said the Navy trains its sea mammals not to forage for food on their own, and that the frogmen hoped Pumpkin would eventually respond to the offer of food.

If Pumpkin is recaptured, he will be returned to the Naval Command Control and Ocean Surveillance Center at Point Loma in San Diego for treatment by Navy veterinarians, LaPuzza said.

“Sea lions are weird creatures,� LaPuzza said. “They get a wild hair every once in awhile, go off and check out the local natives--the females mostly.�

Pumpkin is one of 20 sea lions in the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program that are trained to listen for an acoustic beacon emitting beeps inside dummy mines and attach a recovery device to the mine.

“The sea lion is trained to attach a toggle bolt to the explosive and return to the ship, where we give him a bucket of dead fish and reel in the device,� LaPuzza said.

Besides the sea lions, the Navy has also trained 100 dolphins and five other sea mammals--including a beluga whale and several false killer whales--to perform the same mission, he said.

The sea lions swim into action after completion of mine-clearing exercises by frogmen with the Navy’s explosive ordnance detachment.

“We lose a lot of mines,� LaPuzza said. “It becomes an expense thing. Whenever we have an exercise, we retain all the devices instead of just half of them.�

LaPuzza said the sea mammals are most often trained by Navy personnel, who often grow fond of their animal companions.

“Somewhere, the trainer who is responsible--a sailor probably--is feeling way bad for Pumpkin,� LaPuzza said.