It’s a three-day, two-night trip for the weary mammalian travelers, with overnight stops in San Luis Obispo and Moss Landing. At the end of the road: The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, where the pups will be cared for and returned to health.

Since the beginning of the year, nearly 1,000 starving, dehydrated pups have stranded themselves along Southern California’s shores (including one who’d hauled herself up to the patio of a five-star La Jolla resort). In the last week alone, 240 pups have been rescued and delivered to five rehabilitation centers, from San Diego to Santa Barbara counties.