The 10,000th Marine Mammal Has Been Treated And Released From A San Pedro Center

Sea lions Timmi and Hope were released into the wild on Thursday from Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, marking 10,000 marine mammals treated and released by the Marine Mammal Care Center since its founding in 1992.

Timmi was treated for pox virus and sarcocystosis, a parasitic infection. Hope was treated for leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that can attack the kidneys.

John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center, said it's not necessarily a “celebratory” milestone, “but rather one that is a stark reminder of the need to care for these creatures that strand on our beaches in large numbers.”

The Channel Islands off California’s coast is where most of these mammals are born. The animals rely on the coast to rest and recover when they're not feeling well. But because ours are so heavily populated with people, more animals come into the center for care.

“People here in Southern California are so supportive and adore wildlife, but we forget that they're wild and they are not pets,” Warner said. “We need to give them the space and the respect they need in order to live alongside of us.”

Toxic algae and sea lions

Timmi was found in the summer emaciated and barely breathing on Broad Beach in Malibu, weighing just half of what a healthy female sea lion typically weighs. during “a mass stranding event in Southern California,” Warner said.

Warner is referring to earlier this year in June, when hundreds of California sea lions washed up along the coast. Severe algae blooms resulted in the production of domoic acid. Small fish like sardines eat the algae and the toxic fish were then eaten by the sea lions and dolphins, making them “either hyper aggressive or hyper lethargic,” Warner said. The San Pedro center rescued more than 130 sea lions.

While most of the sea lions the center treated from the time have been released, around eight are still being cared for.

Increase in marine animals needing treatment

Since the center opened in 1992, Warner said there has been an uptick in marine mammals needing treatment.

The population of marine mammals has increased since the 1970s, he said, with the passing of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972. The climate crisis has also increased the number of marine mammal strandings. Rising sea temperatures, changes in ocean currents, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events contribute to the challenges marine mammals face in their natural habitats.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration removed the “unusual designation” from the severe algae blooms as they are happening more frequently, typically in early spring and late fall, Warner said.

Another mass stranding event where “animals are literally starving” can happen again, whether it's an algal bloom or an “El Niño warming of the coastal waters event that we expect here in 2024,” he said.

“We are actively working with our local government partners to really establish a dynamic public private partnership, working with the philanthropic community here in Southern California in order to be able to build more pools, more pens here at the center, hire more staff, both to care for the animals here and then to rescue the animals on the beaches,” he added.