Over 400 fur seal pups were found resting in an inlet at the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge off the coast of San Francisco — and the adorable sight was caught on video.
“I was amazed to see them all piled in there, getting tossed around like they were in a washing machine,” the refuge’s manager, Gerry McChesney, told SFGATE.
“They looked pretty content and like they were having a good ol’ time. … It was so much fun to watch.”
McChesney, who counted a staggering 440 of the creatures, took a video of them — which the United States Fish and Wildlife Service shared on Instagram this week — touting it as “a truly remarkable recovery.”
“Given that the entire colony can’t be seen, this was a minimal count and there were certainly many more,” McChesney continued.
The Farallon Islands as well as San Miguel Island in Santa Barbara County, Calif., are the only two fur seal rookeries or breeding grounds south of Alaska.
“During the breeding season, the rookery is packed with fur seals,” McChesney told the outlet. “The waters just off the rookery often have upwards of a few hundred fur seals hanging out to keep cool.”
Pups are born from June to August and typically stay in the breeding colony through November — until they go out to sea on their own.
“And knowing that the sight represents such an amazing comeback for their population made the sight mean so much more,” McChesney said.
In the early 19th century, the species was completely eliminated due to seal hunting. McChesney estimates that a staggering 150,000 seals were killed between 1810 and 1838.
Protection began in 1911 with the Northern Fur Seal Treaty, which banned the hunting of fur seals at sea. In 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed by Congress, which prohibits the hunting and killing of marine mammals.
Two years after the act was passed, the Farallon Wilderness was formed and 141 acres of the islands were closed to the public in an attempt to allow the seals to return and breed.
In 1996, the first fur seal pup was born in more than 150 years there.
Last year, island biologists first spotted older seal pups using the cove as a hideout from predators such as sharks.
“Threat of shark attacks on the seal pups is certainly there and I’m sure the pups are aware of that,” McChesney told SFGATE.
“The cove where the video was taken provides a secluded spot to swim and play without worrying about the sharks.”
