The Morning Scratch: charity of the month

MAY CHARITY: FRIENDS OF THE ELEPHANT SEAL

Elephant seal says: 'Ah, yes. Scratch. Scratch. Read the Morning Scratch!'
(P.S. Photos were taken by the Investor several weeks ago.)

By Bogdan
Morning Scratch editor

Before the facility went wonky, the investor would make sure $2o-$25 would go to a charitable organization each month. We haven't done that since January, and here it is May already!

The Editorial Board plans to feature a nonprofit group/good cause each month in The Morning Scratch, but in the future the newspaper will do so near the beginning of the month. Look for it, and take part with whatever you are able to give or buy from the organization's store. If you can't contribute money, write the volunteers a note letting them know you appreciate their efforts!

The Morning Scratch charity for May is Friends of the Elephant Seal. Here are 13 reasons to support the organization based out of Cambria, Calif., which is about 25 miles from the Morning Scratch facility.

1. Elephant seals scratch themselves with their flippers. (See photo above.) It's very cute.

2. The northern elephant seal spends most of its time in the open ocean, going on land only for breeding, birthing, molting and (not surprisingly) resting.

3. They return to the same rookery each year.

4. They make loud noises - such as burps, snorts (Kazumi! Ha-ha!) and grunts - that make the Investor giggle.

5. The Piedras Blancas rookery near the Morning Scratch facility is home-base for up to about 16,oo0 elephant seals. Holy Moly!

6. They like to dig in the sand, like us cats! But for different reasons. Elephant seals flip sand on themselves to help stay cool. The sand acts as a sunscreen. (In the photo below, you can see some sand-flippin' flippers.)

7. Unfortunately there were no mature males on the beach when the Investor visited recently, but elephant seals are called elephant seals because the males have elephant noses. How goofy. Go look here.

8. Like hissing, an important part of a good fight is, simply, screaming. Go look here.

9. Blubber isn't as awesome as fur, but it's still pretty awesome.

10. They are beach bums.

The beach bums.

11. Elephant seals will squish you if they sit or lie on you. Male elephant seals can weigh 5,000 pounds.

12. The Friends of the Elephant Seal almost always has a docent at the rookery to answer questions and to protect the seals from "bad" visitors. There has never been a day when the Investor has gone and there wasn't a knowledgeable and friendly volunteer to answer all and any questions. That's dedication!

13. Kat 3 loves elephant seals so much, she dressed up as one!