WildView™

February 7, 2025

Meet Halftime!

- as seen by -

Jennifer Hiner

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Halftime is a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) that presently resides in Sea Cliffs at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium. She joined the WCS pinniped family in 2012.

Like many of the sea lions that call the Aquarium home, Halftime is a rescue. She has a unique story regarding how she received her name.

As a young, abandoned pup, Halftime was rescued on three different occasions. She was rehabilitated and released twice by local marine mammal rescue organizations on the West Coast. On the third attempt, the small pup wandered onto the patio of Mr. Rick’s Beach Bar in Avila Beach, California, where patrons were watching Super Bowl XLVI, an exciting game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots with Madonna headlining the mid-game show. During the event, the bar guests’ attention was drawn to the little animal peering through the glass window. They aptly named the sea lion “Halftime”.

Unfortunately, it became evident that Halftime had become desensitized to humans, and she lacked survival skills, making it dangerous for her to continue attempting to live in the wild. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service deemed her non-releasable. WCS stepped up and offered the young pup a forever home.

Halftime has lived at three of the five WCS parks in New York City and has been a staff favorite at every location. She still possesses that same curious and brave personality that led her to wander to the California bar all those years ago. Halftime is energetic, intelligent, charismatic, and has a strong appetite. She is the largest female sea lion in the Aquarium population, and she is also the loudest.

The next time you visit the Aquarium, see if you can spot this special sea lion that overcame the odds. Halftime will be the one vocalizing or soaring through the air with athletic grace during training sessions.

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