Strandings of sea lion pups jump sharply
U.S. makes designation after a wave of sea lion pup strandings
The severely underweight animals have packed rescue centers in Southern California. The cause of their plight is a mystery.
For months, the sea lion pups — not even a year old — have been washing up on Southern California beaches at an alarming rate. They were stranded, severely underweight, bones poking through their slick dark fur. They were clinging to life, many of them with ailments far beyond malnutrition.
The strandings, which began spiking in January, have intensified in recent weeks, packing marine mammal centers, perplexing researchers and prompting federal wildlife officials to act.
Officials last week declared an “unusual mortality event” for the California sea lion, a designation that came after the pups have been found stranded on beaches from Santa Barbara to San Diego at rates exponentially higher than in years past. California sea lion strandings along the Southland coast have skyrocketed this year, leading the U.S. to declare an “unusual mortality event” for the mammals.
In Los Angeles County, nearly 400 pups have been stranded since the beginning of the year. Last year, 36 were reported during that stretch.
As of March 24, officials said, 214 sea lions were reported stranded in San Diego County, 189 in Orange County, 108 in Santa Barbara County and 42 in Ven- tura County.
Surviving pups have filled marine mammal sanctuaries along the coast, which have taken in a record number of sea lions for rehabilitation for this time of year. Sea World in San Diego has saved 270 sea lions, more than in the last two years combined. At last count, 170 sea lions were being treated there.
And in San Pedro, about 100 animals are being treated at the Marine Mammal Care Center, which has been overwhelmed. “It’s like we’re getting an entire year’s worth of cases in one quarter,” said David Bard, the center’s operations director.
So far in 2013, he said, the center has admitted more than 425 animals, “more than we see all year in most years.”
The onslaught has drained resources, requiring not just more food and medication but straining the pool