There’s nothing cuter than a bunch of sea lion pups, but an epidemic of emaciated pups washing up on the southern California coast is anything but cute and cuddly. Normally, sea lion pups do have it a little rough in the wild, with under a third dying before the April time period when they are expected to leave their mothers. Normally, around 100 or so sea lion pups need saving between January and March. This year, 948 pups have been rescued in the period between January 1 and March 24.
When the pups have been coming in, they have been both emaciated and dehydrated—a bad combination in the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean. The pups are even smaller than usual for this time period, but according to the Huffington Post, scientists currently have no idea what is causing such a high percentage of pups estranged from their mothers, but they are looking into possibilities including food availability and disease.
Unfortunately, adult female mortality doesn’t seem to be the case. At this point, things have gotten so bad that scientists are having to leave behind some of the pups that are in the worst condition in order to give the better off pups a chance at survival. Additionally, sea lion pups have been shipped off to Northern California as some of the rescue centers have become overcrowded.
Some mysteries of nature are not as easy to solve as others. Bees have been dying off in higher numbers this season. Even when causes of issues can be determined, like the ramifications of Hurricane Sandy during turtle nesting season, sometimes there is only so much that can be accomplished to rectify a situation. Hopefully, the scientist’s work will help to determine the cause and come up with proactive solutions for the future.
