Fox San Diego, Jan 27, 2015 (emphasis added): SeaWorld rescue teams have taken in more than 50 baby sea lions stranded on San Diego shores… “Their skin is so loose hanging off them, it looks like they’re wearing pajamas” [said SeaWorld’s] Jody Wetberg…
LA Times, Jan 30, 2015: “Their growth is stunted,” said Shawn Johnson… at the Marine Mammal Center… “They’re basically starved to death — no muscle, no fat, just skin and bones.”… January 2015, however, has been “extremely unusual” for the Northern California center, he said. In winter, the sea lion population is concentrated in Southern California, then shifts northward in late summer, Johnson said. So for the center to see so many animals is cause for further concern… “Maybe the fish have all left, and that’s why this is happening.”
OC Register, Jan 25, 2015: ‘Prepare for the worst’: Struggling to save starving sea lions… experts say the numbers could hit even higher levels than in 2013… The difference this year: Starving pups showed up as early as December... The mothers – to nourish themselves and provide milk – swam as far as 120 miles north toward Monterrey… [In 2013, Melin] recorded pups at only half their previous weights… last September, the weights were down again… [She had] another research trip out last month. But the skinny pups had only gained 4 pounds… “We’ve told the centers to prepare for the worst,” she said.
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San Diego 6 News, Jan 29, 2015: Sea lions found on San Diego County beaches recently are so hungry they’ve been gnawing on rocks. Some have been found near death, with a belly full of sand and rock, because there’s nothing else for them to eat.
San Diego Reader, Jan 29, 2015: Their skin hangs on bones… barely move around, and they crowd together for warmth… a new, worse calamity of starving babies washing up seems to be unfolding… The arrival x-rays for one sea lion revealed the critter had four pounds of rocks in its belly… their bodies have started to shut down.
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