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THE SOUTH PACIFIC MARINE MAMMAL CENTER started
operations on May 24th, 2003, with the admission for rehabilitation of "Oscar", the first South American sea-lion ever rescued, clinically treated and released in Peru. The rescue was performed by the members of ORCA Peru.
Our Center was founded by marine vet Dr. Carlos Yaipen-Llanos at the age of 26.
He is, and always has been, a marine mammal enthusiast and is the first qualified marine vet in the country, specially trained at Sarasota's Mote Marine Laboratory Whale and Dolphin Hospital and at the Marine Mammal Center based in Sausalito,
California, both our Center's background
for science, animal welfare and handling protocols.
The Center
The South Pacific Marine Mammal Center's mission is to function as the headquarters of the non-profit organization ORCA Peru for the rehabilitation
of marine mammals. Located in the coastal disctrict of San Bartolo, 48Km south of Lima city in Peru, the Center operates currently in a rented-adapted facility. As the Center initiated with sea-lions and marine mammals, in time, inspiration, knowledge and committment for nature allowed our facility to receive other endangered species such as penguins and sea turtles that were also medically treated under rehabilitation. All of our patients are rehabilitated for their release into their ocean home. With the South Pacific Marine Mammal Center as an specialized facility inspiring Peruvians and students across the world, ORCA Peru promotes ecological values through education, research and public involvement in ocean conservation.
Biological and medical studies on marine mammals have allowed us to identify unknown diseases like cancer on these species caused mainly by the ever increasing pollution of the ocean, and are helping us to identify many that remain unknown and are affecting this side of the planet. Some of these diseases can affect both animals and humans. That is one of the reasons why marine mammals are sentinels of the ocean’s health, and therefore, sentinels of our planet’s health.
Species we have work with so far
include: South American sea-lions
(Otaria byronia),
South American fur seals (Arctocephalus
australis), Galapagos fur seals (Arctocephalus
galapagoensis), Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), marine otters (Lontra felina, bottle-nose dolphins
(Tursiops truncatus). dusky dolphins
(Lagenorhynchus obscurus), common dolphins (Delphinus delphis); Humboldt penguins
(Spheniscus humboldti),
Galapagos penguins (Spheniscus
mendiculus); Green sea turtles (Chelonia
mydas) and Pacific Hawksbill's sea turtles
(Eretmochelys imbricata bissa). <
ORCA
"Rescue, Education, Science and
Conservation
Protecting Marine Life in
the Eastern South Pacific"
OCEANIZE YOUR LIFE!
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