Fur seals making a comeback on the Farallones

Such a loveable face could melt even the stoniest heart. The docile expression and liquid eyes of the northern fur seal make this creature the perfect poster child for animal welfare groups.

Don't be fooled.

Jim Tietz, a PRBO Conservation Science biologist who helps monitor the colony on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, says these marine mammals are playful and curious--even aggressive. And they're making a comeback, at least on islands off the California coast.

"It was a good season for pups," says Tietz. "We counted over 180 pups during one survey."

The rocky Farallones, 28 miles west of the Golden Gate, serve as a refuge for thousands of seabirds and five species of pinnipeds: elephant seals, harbor seals, California and Steller sea lions, and the northern fur seal. At one time, fur seals may have dominated the islands, but relentless hunting in the early 19th century exterminated most of the colony and sent the rest fleeing. Biologists have spotted individual seals over the years, but it wasn't until 1996 that the first fur seal pup was born on Southeast Farallon Island. Today hundreds of fur seals breed here, and the colony is growing exponentially. The high count for 2011 was 476 individuals, a 69 percent increase from the year before.

Read the complete Bay Nature story here.