Marine Mammal Center offering low-cost tours this summer

So, I never knew much about marine mammal life until I worked for the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) last summer. And to be honest, I thought it was all a little boring. I know, right? What did I know?

Not much, obviously. A few of those things: just how hard non-profits struggle to keep afloat, and just how closely every research center works with one another when rehabilitating stranded marine mammals. That brings me to the Marine Mammal Center, a non-profit veterinary hospital outside of San Francisco that focuses on the rescue and rehabilitation of injured marine mammals. At ASLC I was familiar with the Marine Mammal Center’s work, since I was writing about marine mammal populations and whatnot.

We’re pleased to share that the MMC will be offering super-cheap guided tours this summer – a total bargain for a research center that depends on grants, donations, and ticket sales to maintain operations. A guided tour will only cost $7 for adults ($5 for students and seniors). You’ll get to see, among other things, volunteers making herring milkshakes for baby marine mammals, veterinarians in the necropsy lab examining tissue samples, and of course, cute marine mammals (see photo). If you’re in the area, it’s definitely a worthwhile trip.