Wildlife- Baby Elephant Seals

Elephant Seal ... yes! I saw them by hiking 3 miles on California coast. Ano Nuevo State Park in Pescadero is a place where the habitat for migrating Elephant seals is protected. Lesser known place indeed! Until I reached the place I wasn't sure what was there for me! And I was so happy like a child when I saw these pups just a few feet away on the other side of the fence! Aren't they adorable?

The best time to visit the reserve is from December to March which is actually mating season for the seals. Males will be performing at their best to attract the attention of females and the whole set up on the shore is action filled. During this time only guided tours are allowed and you may have to book well in advance. In September, during my recent visit- mating was long over, seals were all silent and resting, the adorable pups were having peaceful nap. Aren't they cute? Little bigger ones were having fun swimming in the cold Pacific ocean. 

Park has an entry fees.  At the visitor center we took the permit which is required to go up to the viewing area. Then walked around 3 miles, parts of which on the dunes, to reach the viewing point. Here, ranger officers will give an insight to the Elephant seals, their behavior, life cycle, migration etc. They will try to answer all the questions that visitors might have. It is a good experience to watch these heavy creatures dragging themselves into the water, then ride the waves and come back to the shore for a rest. The ones which are napping- wake up for a while, look around, yawn a few times and go back to sleep.

I was reluctant to leave. I just wanted to hold one of the pups in my arms. Yes! I know! these pups could be double or more heavier than me! But, still ... those adorable baby faces ... The scenic coast is irresistible. It was a memorable short trip!

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Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.