New sea lion pup, Maverick arrives at the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary
December 13, 2024
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New sea lion pup, Maverick arrives at the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary
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The Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary is thrilled to announce the birth of a male Australian Sea Lion pup, named Maverick, on 15 November 2024. His arrival brings renewed hope and highlights the Sanctuary’s ongoing efforts to conserve this endangered species.
Tiga Cross, Manager of Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary, expressed excitement about the new arrival: “Maverick’s birth fills us with immense pride and optimism. Each new pup represents not just a victory for this very important breeding program but also a beacon of hope for the future of Australian Sea Lions. Maverick’s strong spirit reminds us of the importance of protecting these incredible animals.”
Born to mother Miri, who also has a two-year-old named Miki, Maverick already shows signs of independence and strength, inspiring his name. Maverick at 2 weeks of age weighed in at 11.9kg, which makes him the heaviest pup born at the facility to date. Now, at 4 weeks, he’s growing very fast and showing strong signs of physical development.
The Sanctuary, which boasts the world’s most successful species management program for Australian Sea Lions, with the facility welcoming Maverick as its 21st pup, with the most recent pup being Garlambirla (“Gary”), born in February of this year. Miri, also born at the facility in 2009, continues to play a vital role in the success of their endangered species management program.
Maverick’s arrival is seen as a symbol of good luck and resilience, reflecting the ongoing fight for the species’ survival against challenges like habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear, and pollution.
Through proactive conservation efforts, the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary is dedicated to ensuring a brighter future for Australian Sea Lions and the marine ecosystems they call home. This milestone emphasises the importance of collective action in safeguarding our oceans and the diverse life they sustain.
For more information about the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary and its conservation initiatives, visit www.coffscoastwildlifesanctuary.com.au.
Maverick’s arrival is seen as a symbol of good luck and resilience, reflecting the ongoing fight for the species’ survival against challenges like habitat loss, entanglement in fishing gear, and pollution.
Through proactive conservation efforts, the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary is dedicated to ensuring a brighter future for Australian Sea Lions and the marine ecosystems they call home. This milestone emphasises the importance of collective action in safeguarding our oceans and the diverse life they sustain.
For more information about the Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary and its conservation initiatives, visit www.coffscoastwildlifesanctuary.com.au.
About Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary
The Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary has been a haven for marine animals, education, research and conservation in Coffs Harbour for more than five decades and is the only facility of its kind in northern New South Wales.
The Sanctuary plays an important role in species conservation for the at risk Little Blue Penguin, and the endangered Australian Sea Lion.
The Sanctuary facility boasts the most successful sea lion breeding program in Australia, with more than 20 pups born over the facility’s 50 year history.
Each year, the Sanctuary rehabilitates and releases more than 400 marine animals. Those animals who are deemed unfit to return to their natural habitat are lovingly cared for by our team, becoming conservation education ambassadors for our community.
The Sanctuary is a not for profit organisation.
Australian Sea Lion Fact Sheet
About the species – Australian Sea Lion (Neophoca Cinerea)
- The Australian Sea Lion is native to the waters off South Australia and Western Australia. They are non-migratory, meaning they stay in large breeding colonies close to their birthplace
- Australian Sea Lions live for 17 – 25 years and have a gestation period of around 18 months. This is the second-longest gestation period in the mammal kingdom.
- Females reach adulthood from three years, and males from 8 years. This, combined with the long gestation period, is one of the reasons for slow population growth.
- There are an estimated 10,000 Australian Sea Lions remaining, and therefore they are classified as endangered, largely resulting from a history of hunting, and ocean plastic.
- Sea Lions are regarded as ‘keystone species’ – they maintain balance in their ecosystem, and without them, the ecosystem would be thrown out of balance, or fail to survive.
- The indigenous name for an Australian Sea Lion is Bulgara, and represent an important totem for the Wirangu people, who are the traditional custodians of the Chain of Bays region in South Australia.
About the Sanctuary’s Australian Sea Lion Species Conservation program
- The Sanctuary currently has a colony of nine sea lions, which is the largest colony in care in Australia. There are only 19 left in the world in human care.
- This includes Storm who recently returned from a “Swim Exchange” at Taronga Zoo. This Exchange will hopefully result in a refresh of the gene pool for sea lions who are a part of the Species Conservation Program.
- The Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary has the most successful species conservation program for Australian Sea Lions of any facility worldwide.
- Sea Lions born into the program cannot be released into the wild due to the extended period of on-land maternal nurturing required, however they play a vital role in gathering research and knowledge of the species, to try and understand more about their wild counterparts, and what measures can be put into place to conserve and rebuild this endangered species..
- Research at the Sanctuary includes vital ovulation tracking which directly affects the species’ capacity to populate in the wild, as well as seal metabolic rates which directly impacts fishing legislation around ASL colonies.
