The largest toxic algae bloom ever recorded off Southern California’s coast is continuing to sicken sea lions and other marine mammals, and it’s unclear how much longer it will last, one marine mammal specialist said Thursday, July 6.
More than 1,000 sea lions and dolphins have fallen ill and washed up along California’s coastline over the last several weeks.
John Warner, chief executive of Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, which operates an animal hospital in San Pedro, said the hospital typically admits about 20 animals this time of year, but the facility has been at maximum capacity, having treated about 120 creatures since the second week of June.
Hundreds of marine mammals are being stranded weekly around L.A. County beaches, he said, and guessed that more than 100 animals have died, though he did not yet have a specific number.
With the animal hospital feeling the strain, Warner is urging individuals and organizations to donate or volunteer to help the animal rescue effort.
The animals have a 60% to 90% survival rate if they can be transferred to the hospital early enough for care and treatment, Warner said. But the demand for space at the hospital is too great – a predicament further complicated because rescue workers don’t want to release sea lions that have recovered into the ocean yet, since the algae bloom is still present.
As a result, sea lions waiting to be admitted to the hospital are currently recuperating at a resting zone set up on Charlie’s Beach in Marina del Rey, a 50-by-50 square-foot fenced in area that protects them from human foot traffic. A full-time veterinarian is currently stationed there to care for the animals and make sure the sea lions are hydrated and receive fluids to wash out the toxins, Warner said.
The resting zone – located on a county beach – was set up in collaboration with city and county officials, said Warner, noting that it’s the first time a county has partnered with his organization on…
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