SHAFTER, CA -- The picturesque scenery of California's coast is one of the main attractions of our state. Just a little over four miles north of Hearst Castle, lying in the golden hue of the sun is one of the largest herds of elephant seals in North America.
These quirky mammals have brought two friends from Shafter to spend their golden years of retirement together. Both are former school teachers who met in church in the 1980s.
George Larson, a Marine captain during Vietnam and retired Shafter High School history teacher has been with an organization called "Friends of the elephant seal" since 2004. The organization is a non-profit and volunteers called docents are out at the bluffs 365 days a year, in any type of weather.
"You can have days out here when the wind is blowing at 35-40 miles per hour. If you want to add some rain to that it can really miserable," says George Larson.
When Jim Siler, a former kindergarten teacher from the Richland School District in Shafter, heard what his friend George was doing, he knew he had to be part of it. "Totally amazing and awesome to be over here because you are talking to people from all over the world."
But Siler is just as happy when he gets recognized by a former student and her grandmother. "I wondered if Mr. Siler was going to be here today and he's the first guy I saw!"
The elephant seals are on land for a few months of the year, primarily to give birth, then mate again. They don't eat much while on land, because they're able to live off their stored blubber.
When they are in the water male elephant seals will travel as far as the Aleutian Islands near Alaska to feed on squid, small sharks and fish, often diving to depths of one thousand to three thousand feet.
The best times to see the elephant seals on the beach are during the months of January and February. But there is one day in particular when you can see the most. "The peak of our birthing season is actually February 14th, Valentine's Day. now how nice can that be."
The elephant seals are protected under federal law and volunteers say an adult male can reach speeds up to 24 miles per hour. You don't want to get too close because if you did they could inflict some serious damage. "Before we got the railing set up here people could walk down onto the beach."
One man thought it would be a good photo opportunity to place his 10-year-old daughter on a female seal. "The alpha male took exception to that and fortunately he attacked the man and not the little girl. It severely injured the man and they had to get the emergency helicopter from San Luis Obispo to get him to the hospital in time."
The man would survive and Larson says the most people are very respectful of the mammals. The best part of the job Larson says is interacting with people, especially when he sees a child's face light up learning something new. "They will come out with wow!. That is really rewarding. If we can get that wow that is the most rewarding part of it all."
The colony has has grown from about 20 elephant seals in 1990 to roughly 20,000 today. If you would like more information on Friends of the Elephant seal, log on to www.elephantseal.org
These quirky mammals have brought two friends from Shafter to spend their golden years of retirement together. Both are former school teachers who met in church in the 1980s.
George Larson, a Marine captain during Vietnam and retired Shafter High School history teacher has been with an organization called "Friends of the elephant seal" since 2004. The organization is a non-profit and volunteers called docents are out at the bluffs 365 days a year, in any type of weather.
"You can have days out here when the wind is blowing at 35-40 miles per hour. If you want to add some rain to that it can really miserable," says George Larson.
When Jim Siler, a former kindergarten teacher from the Richland School District in Shafter, heard what his friend George was doing, he knew he had to be part of it. "Totally amazing and awesome to be over here because you are talking to people from all over the world."
But Siler is just as happy when he gets recognized by a former student and her grandmother. "I wondered if Mr. Siler was going to be here today and he's the first guy I saw!"
The elephant seals are on land for a few months of the year, primarily to give birth, then mate again. They don't eat much while on land, because they're able to live off their stored blubber.
When they are in the water male elephant seals will travel as far as the Aleutian Islands near Alaska to feed on squid, small sharks and fish, often diving to depths of one thousand to three thousand feet.
The best times to see the elephant seals on the beach are during the months of January and February. But there is one day in particular when you can see the most. "The peak of our birthing season is actually February 14th, Valentine's Day. now how nice can that be."
The elephant seals are protected under federal law and volunteers say an adult male can reach speeds up to 24 miles per hour. You don't want to get too close because if you did they could inflict some serious damage. "Before we got the railing set up here people could walk down onto the beach."
One man thought it would be a good photo opportunity to place his 10-year-old daughter on a female seal. "The alpha male took exception to that and fortunately he attacked the man and not the little girl. It severely injured the man and they had to get the emergency helicopter from San Luis Obispo to get him to the hospital in time."
The man would survive and Larson says the most people are very respectful of the mammals. The best part of the job Larson says is interacting with people, especially when he sees a child's face light up learning something new. "They will come out with wow!. That is really rewarding. If we can get that wow that is the most rewarding part of it all."
The colony has has grown from about 20 elephant seals in 1990 to roughly 20,000 today. If you would like more information on Friends of the Elephant seal, log on to www.elephantseal.org