'Unusual mortality event' is declared for the California sea lion (LA Times)

[pinto]

Cause(s) remain unclear. ~ pinto

'Unusual mortality event' is declared for the California sea lion

The federal designation comes after sickly sea lion pups have been found stranded on beaches from Santa Barbara to San Diego at rates exponentially higher than in years past.

By Rick Rojas, Los Angeles Times
April 1, 2013

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

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-stranded-sea-lions-20130402,0,7225136.story

[SunSeeker]

1. So sad. Ironically, I came across one in Seal Beach last week.

It was clearly sick. They had it taped off with police tape and a sign warning people not to bother it. I guess that was the best they could do until the seal rescue folks could come get it. I snapped these pictures with my cell phone.

I have only seen a seal like this on Seal Beach one other time in the 21 years I've lived here; it was about 10 years ago and it was an emaciated pup like this one.



Here's the little guy looking like a clup of seaweed in the center of the photo

This is him looking up from the water.