Starving Sea Lion Pups Can't Take the Heat

By Danny Jensen
March 17, 2010
1 comments

resized_sealionCalifornia is a tan-seeker's paradise; the beaches are full all summer long with happy-go-lucky sunbathers. But the latest visitors to the state's sandy shores have not come for a tan—instead, they've arrived as harbingers of climate change disaster yet to come. Over the past few months, dozens of starving and sick sea lion pups have washed up on Southern California beaches. Marine mammal experts say an increasing scarcity of prey due to warming sea temperatures is the primary cause.

Veterinarians from Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach have worked to rehabilitate 27 of the famished sea lions since December, but only nine of them have survived. Those tending to the stranded and sick pups say that ocean warming from El Nino has caused a significant reduction in the number of squid and fish sea lions typically consume.

As global climate patterns shift and sea temperatures rise, expect to see similarly dismaying results both at sea and on land, making it all the more imperative that we take action to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Photo: michaelperry's Flickr photostream/Creative Commons

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Comments

1
Aphrodite7
posted on Jul 18, 2010
These starving sea lion pups are harbingers of how we in our world need to change. Our governments need to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and find better ways to save our environment before it's too late. We as global citizens must become cognizant about how our actions have an impact on our environment and strive to make a difference in our "buying" choices and go green and become pro-active in seeing that possible legislation is passed to protect the environment!