Elephant seal rookery found at Vandenberg, 1st in 30 years

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The Associated Press

Coast Guard members from Station Channel Islands Harbor assisted members of the California Wildlife Commission to release two rehabilitated elephant seal pups back into the wild near Santa Cruz Island July 12, 2016. The elephant seal pups were being treated at the California Wildlife Center’s rehabilitation site for seals, located in Calabasas near Malibu. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sondra-Kay Kneen.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — An elephant seal rookery has been found at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the first time in 30 years.

The Air Force says 18 elephant seal pubs have been lounging with their mothers on a remote small beach surrounded by cliffs on the south end of the Central Coast base.

The pups turned up a couple weeks ago in the small cove, which has a beach that is submerged at high tide.

Vandenberg normally only is visited by juvenile male elephant seals that stop in during fall and winter months.

Elephant seals grow to enormous size — up to 2½ tons for the males.

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The Associated Press