SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) – Seven rescued sea lions on Tuesday were returned to the ocean after spending about six weeks being nursed back to health at SeaWorld San Diego.
Onboard the boat on Tuesday volunteering to return the seven sea lions to the wild was actor Matthew Modine– who has been in numerous films including, “Full Metal Jacket” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”
“I grew up in Imperial Beach. Whenever I have an opportunity to come back to San Diego it is a wonderful homecoming for me,” he said.
Recently, Modine played Dr. Brenner in the Netflix show “Stranger Things.”
Modine is a conservationist and environmentalist who feels strongly about protecting our oceans.
“Every second breath you take is provided to you by the ocean,” he said.
During the trip to release the sea lions, a pod of dolphins made a special appearance.
Tuesday’s release was extra special because it helped mark SeaWorld’s 55th birthday. To date, it has rescued more than 34,000 marine animals.
SeaWorld Rescue team member, Jody Westberg, said, “one of the best parts of the job is when we return these animals back to the wild because that is the goal from the beginning.”
Modine said that watching them back in the water is “unbelievable. They are teaching us about the health of the ocean.”