The volunteers at the Marine Mammal Center have been trying hard to nurse over a hundred sea lions that they find along the beaches of California. Over the past few weeks, the most lovable sea creatures have been found dying in huge numbers of the coast of the state.
Since January 1, there were already almost 500 tiny pups that have been found in the beaches up and down the coast of California. This is the third winter in a row which left marine scientists baffled in attempting to give an explanation as to the reasons behind these strandings.
Every day, dog crates with sick little sea lions arrive in the Marine Mammal Center and if this trend continues, this would likely deplete the entire generation of the sea lions in the state, marine biologists say. Just last Wednesday, a hungry and desperate pup was found near the Skyline Boulevard in San Francisco, California over 100,000 feet from the ocean.
As more and sea lions are found off the coast of California, the staff and volunteers will also continue working long hours every day but none of them seem to mind at all. Site manager Erica Donnelly-Greenan at Moss Landing say that it’s a privilege to be able to handle such animals.