to abandon newborn pup
The mother gave birth to the baby sea lion on a local beach, which is considered unusual by experts. After crowds gathered nearby to watch the mammals, the mother left and did not return. The pup is now in care of a marine mammal center in Laguna Beach.
By Lori Allen / Special to The Malibu Times
A female sea lion abandoned its newborn pup on Sycamore Cove Beach under a bridge last week after crowds of people drove the older sea lion off.
The sea lion gave birth to the healthy male pup, now named Brodie by rescuers, under a bridge at Pacific Coast Highway at Sycamore Cove Beach near the Ventura County line some time during the first weekend of June.
Crowds of people gathered at the beach on June 3 to watch the mammals. Cynthia Reyes, California Wildlife Center’s director of the marine mammal unit, said, at the time, assessment of the pup was that it was alert, active and vocal. But Reyes found the older sea lion to be slightly lethargic and only moderately responsive. The mother might have been suffering from a common condition known in California sea lions as domoic acid toxicity, caused by large blooms of a certain algae species, but her symptoms were not acute, Reyes said.
Reyes and her team did not want to interfere with the relationship of mother and pup, since their lives were not in danger. In cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Fort MacArthur Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, the decision was made to leave the animals on close watch for the next 24 to 48 hours to better determine the mother’s condition. Additional signage was placed to further enforce the beach closure in that area to protect the sea lions.
Despite those efforts, an unidentified beachgoer reportedly told wildlife rescuers that after the mother left, he saw other beachgoers put the newborn back into the water to try and make it swim. He rescued the pup from the water, and took it away from the handlers and to a safe location.
Marine mammal rescue organizations urge the general public that if they are not educated or trained to help out with these types of rescues, it is essential to leave the animal alone and report any sightings to a lifeguard, park ranger or rescue organization immediately.
“Sea lion pups imprint from human intervention so much so that they can’t be re-released back into the wild,” said Jonsie Ross, a volunteer with the California Wildlife Center. “If there isn’t a facility such as a zoo or marine park that can take them once rehabilitated, they have to be euthanized. That’s why it was so important to try and keep the crowds away in this instance, so the mother would have the opportunity to return.”
Peter Wallerstein, president of the Whale Rescue Team, has specialized in the rescue of marine mammals along the Los Angeles County coast for the past 22 years. He also advises people with no animal rescue experience to stay away if they come across a stranded marine mammal.
“These are wild animals,” he said. “Unfortunately, when people see a trainer at a captive display facility or an aquarium kissing a 600-pound sea lion on the lips and feeding it a fish they are being mis-educated and that’s when we have problems on the beach. Sea lions have a bite 10 times greater than that of a dog, and a mouth full of bacteria.”
The birth of the pup at a local beach is considered an anomaly.
“It is unusual that sea lions birth in our area,” Wallerstein said. “Most births are on the [Channel] Islands.”
During breeding season in the spring and early summer months, sea lions are known by experts to congregate on the Channel Islands. Reyes speculates the mother may have migrated up north but there is no way to track her movement.
Reyes transported the pup to the San Pedro marine mammal care facility, but experts there felt it would be better off at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, a rescue and rehabilitation institution in Laguna Beach that caters specifically to seals and sea lion pups.
At press time, the pup weighed about 15 pounds, which is average for a healthy California sea lion pup. He is currently being bottle-fed.”Because of the close human contact that occurs during this hand rearing process, he will not be able to be returned to the wild,” said Emily Wing, marketing director at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.
Wildlife biologist Joe Cordaro with the National Marine Fisheries Service does not anticipate Malibu’s beaches to become overrun with sea lions any time in the near future.
“The recent scenario of an animal giving birth on a mainland beach is still a rare occurrence,” he said. However, Cordaro said he anticipates that many sick and injured animals will come ashore in the Malibu area and on other Los Angeles County beaches during the summer.
Sea lion rescue and rehab organizations work collaboratively under the Marine Mammal Stranding Network system, an alliance with the National Marine Fisheries Service to ensure safe and proper treatment for surviving sea lions. Although they are not an endangered species, California sea lions are protected under the Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is a violation against federal law to put a California sea lion in danger. Currently, the estimated population for California sea lions ranges from 237,000 to 244,000.