(Photo credit: memyselfandtheinterstate.com) |
When we returned to the beach a couple weeks later, a somber situation awaited us. We walked down the beach and noticed something on the beach. It was not debris. A midsize sea lion looked up at us, but did not move. I had my daughter stand there while I went to get the lifeguard. When I informed the two lifeguards as to what I saw, the younger man looked concerned, but the older man informed me of the facts of the situation.
The sea lion was from the Channel Islands and something had happened to separate the baby sea lions from their mothers. The sea lions were starving to death. The lifeguards could not feed them because the mother had to chew the food. A rescue group in the area had already rescued 250 babies at that time. They could not take anymore.
We continued our walk down the beach and I noticed something dark in the waves. It was the body of a larger sea lion. A little bit further was the body of another baby sea lion. I wondered whatever happened to the little one we had seen just weeks ago.
(Photo credit: memyselfandtheinterstate.com) |
At that point in time we could could not find much information in the press about the sea lions, but a recent news story told of individuals who had harassed and kidnapped a sea lion pup from the beach. A wildlife official warned that the bite of a sea lion could be worse than the bite of a pit bull. He also advised the public that such an act would bring fines of up to $10,000 and up to a year in jail. The press also reported that other organizations had stepped in to help the sea lions. Hopefully, the little guy in the photo found the help he needed.
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