Seals, sea lions and other marine mammals often wash onto Malibu beaches in the spring and summer. But beachgoers should be careful when they find them.
By Julie Ellerton / Special to The Malibu Times
Two weekends ago on Malibu Colony Beach, a baby elephant seal lay on the shore, clearly exhausted and unable to reach the water. A group of beachgoers gathered around, some holding back dogs that were more than a little curious, as the pup struggled toward the water?s edge, then stopped to rest again.
It?s a disturbing sight to see any animal in distress; our natural instincts are triggered. Do we attempt to bring him to the water, do we splash water on what looks like a very dry seal, or cover him with a blanket? We ask: How do we save this seal from struggling any further?
According to Cindy Reyes, Executive Director of the California Wildlife Center, the answer is none of the above. Reyes said it is natural to want to help, but in most cases the good intentions only cause the animal more anxiety and stress.
The correct response is to stay at least 50 feet away (for the safety of both animal and human), place a call to the experts at the CWC?s Marine Mammal Response hotline at 310.458.WILD (9453) and let them handle it.
The hotline has been busy lately, and officials at the CWC expect the calls to increase through the summer as local marine mammals deal with two specific problems.
Jeff Hall, the Marine Mammal Coordinator of the CWC, said the center has been getting three to four calls per day about elephant seal pups like the one on Malibu Colony beach that wash ashore after being recently weened.
The problem, Hall says, is the pups have been unsuccessful at finding food and are worn out.
?We start seeing pups come up from the middle of February till around the end of April,? Hall says, ?Usually they?re just resting, but often they are thinner or emaciated and dehydrated.?
Marine mammals get the fluids they need from the foods they eat (fish, squid and octopus), so an inability to find food after separating from their mothers results in dehydration and other problems.
?It?s very common for elephant seal pups to be washing up right now,? Hall continued. ?The reason they get out of the water is because they?re underweight, and they have a hard time thermal regulating, so they get cold really easy being in the water.?
If recent years are any guide, the sight of sick marine mammals washing ashore is likely to become more frequent as summer nears. The CWC?s Marine Mammal Response Team was extremely busy in 2011 with 19 rescues of animals suspected of suffering from domoic acid (DA) toxicosis.
DA is a naturally occurring biotoxin that is produced by a type of algae common in the waters of Southern California, according to the website of the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center. The algae often blooms in the spring, a phenomenon referred to as ?red tide,? causing DA to build up in shellfish, anchovies and sardines. Those creatures are then eaten by sea lions, otters, cetaceans and humans, among others. It has been most prevalent in sea lions and dolphins, and whales to a lesser degree.
The biotoxin affects the brain, causing animals that consume it to become lethargic and disoriented, and often causes seizures that sometimes result in death.
?The most common signs of domoic acid poisoning are seizures and head-bobbing/weaving. They could seem disoriented and comatose,? Reyes said.
Typically, symptoms of DA start to show up in May, although unseasonably warm temperatures can cause it to begin sooner. During the summer months, it is not unusual for the Marine Mammal Rescue team to go on six to eight calls per day.
DA toxicosis has become more prevalent over the last 15 years, and was first identified as an annual phenomenon on the West Coast around 1998.
?It generally occurs annually in varying extreme, some years we see far more animals than others,? Reyes said.
As spring makes way for summer, beachgoers should be aware that crowding a sickened animal on the beach is likely to do more harm than good. Of course, it is never a good idea to pour water on the animal, cover it with sand, poke it with sticks or allow dogs to bite it, as Reyes said some beachgoers do when encountering a beached sea creature.
Touching, moving and even talking around an animal suffering from DA toxicosis can make its symptoms worse and decrease its chances for survival.
?They can be highly unpredictable when suffering from domoic acid poisoning exposure, and the stress of being harassed can actually exacerbate the symptoms they are already experiencing,? Reyes said.
People encountering sick animals on the beach are advised to stay 50 feet away and call the Marine Mammal Response hotline at 310.458.WILD (9453) or email rescue@cawildlife.org. For more information, contact the California Wildlife Center at 818.222.2658.