Emaciated sea lion pups are popping up along California beaches, baffling marine scientists. It's not unusual for a few pups to be stranded here and there but they are beaching in record numbers, causing concern.
Sausalito's Marine Mammal Center, for instance, has already helped 120 pups in the first five or six weeks of the year alone. Last year, the non-profit didn't see 100 pups until it was April. Yvette Koth, spokesperson for the center, said it is alarming. Birthing season began around seven months ago so the pups shouldn't be away from their mothers yet.
Sea lion pups usually nurse until they are 11 months old. Mothers might be accidentally abandoning their pups, taking too long to search for food which may be caused by fish swimming farther from Channel Islands. If they're mothers are gone, however, the pups will naturally venture away from the area where they were born to look for their own sustenance.
In the process, they get caught up in currents because they can't swim very well yet and find themselves beached along the shores of California.
If the beached sea lion pups were not abandoned, their emaciated state could only be explained by an unidentified disease. Marine scientists think this is unlikely but the idea has not been completely scrapped yet.
Peter Wallerstein, Marine Animal Rescue director, explained that without body fat, sea lion pups at high risk of hypothermia. They need to spend a lot of time out of the water because of this and being out of the water means being away from food sources.
At their age, the beached sea lion pups should be 50 percent heavier. It may take up to six weeks before they reach their ideal weight, growing strong enough as well to be released back into the water. Hopefully after regaining their strength they'll be able to swim far enough and dive deep enough as well to get to food sources.
The public can do their part in helping the sea lion pups by reporting any sightings immediately. If possible, photos should be taken to help responders in determining the current condition of a pup. Donations may also be directed towards marine organizations supporting sea lion pups, boosting their capabilities to care for them.
Sea lions are common around the West Coast, breeding in and south of Channel Islands to Mexico. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that about 300,000 California sea lions are in existence today.
