This summer’s poisonous algae bloom that sickened and killed hundreds of sea lions and dolphins off Southern California left behind a crop of young pups at local marine mammal rescue centers.
Now that the young sea lions have a few months under their belts experts at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, the Marine Mammal Center Los Angeles and San Diego SeaWorld are betting the long hours of dedication from their care teams will pay off and the pups can make it to the ocean.
Historically, animals younger than 6 months raised in rescue facilities are placed in captivity, but these pups are showing they can hunt, capture and kill fish on their own.
This weekend, three sea lion pups born at PMMC and raised in the red barn along Laguna Canyon Road since early June will join three other pups at San Diego SeaWorld in preparation for their release. PMMC’s pups, Raindrop, Miley and Kenny, were each born to mothers poisoned in the toxic bloom that began off Ventura County and spread during the summer into ocean waters off Los Angeles and Orange County.
Dr. Alissa Deming, PMMC’s head veterinarian, said while the bloom was likely the most devastating in recent times, she was thankful it began in late May, close to the full gestation terms for the pups. Often, spring blooms come when pups are not fully developed and their prognosis is dim.
Labor was induced in the mothers who were stranded on local beaches to stop the toxic exposure to the pups and to give the moms the best chance to survive. Deming and her staff held their breath, she said, hoping the pups wouldn’t present with seizures or other neurological conditions brought on by the poisoning.
The vet staff had wanted to keep the pups with their mothers, but the toxins made at least one dangerously aggressive.
So, Deming pulled the pups together and Rainbow, the most tranquil sea lion mom, stayed with her own Raindrop and became a surrogate for Miley and Kenny. The pups were able to nurse…
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