Friends of Bruno the ailing sea lion see signs of recovery.

It looks like Bruno is going to make it.

The 500-pound California sea lion, the unofficial mascot of the Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol, had been looking rather lethargic and frail for the last six weeks, leaving harbor patrol officers worried about their friend.

Bruno, who has made King Harbor his home for the past two years, has two small puncture wounds on his left side, which Harbor Master Wayne Sankey believes are bullet holes.

And while Bruno still looks a bit green around the gills, Sankey thinks the sea lion will recover.

“I think he is going to make it,” Sankey said in an interview last week. “I am optimistic.”

For several days Bruno--who got his name because of his loud, husky bark--could not jump onto his favorite sunbathing spot, a dock near the Harbor Patrol office. But Thursday, after half a dozen unsuccessful attempts, Bruno slid onto the deck, where he spent the rest of the afternoon resting.

Over the past few weeks, several marine animal experts have been called to check Bruno’s condition. “Every time someone tries to get close to him he slides back into the water,” Sankey said. “But it looks like he is gaining weight. He’ll be OK.”