The Marine Mammal Center, located in Sausalito, California, has been making quite a remarkable difference in the lives of many seals and other marine mammals.
The non-profit facility, which normally takes in around 700 sea mammals per year, rescued nearly 400 marine animals since the start of the new year. This significant increase in rescues is said to be the result of many factors, including the animals getting stuck too far inland on beaches. Due to the fact that many sea lions and baby seals get displaced from their mothers, they are unable to accurately maneuver their way through the ocean and end up washed up on the California beaches; emaciated and unable to find their way home.
The facility’s leading veterinarian, Shawn Johnson, also described algae bloom as a reason for the sudden surge in marine animals being taken in. Unfortunately for the marine life, domoic acid is released and then consumed by smaller fish which are then eaten by the larger seals or sea lions. The intake of the acid causes serious health problems such as seizures or even memory loss and also results in the animals washing up on beaches.
Without a doubt, such non-profit organizations, such as the Marine Mammal Center, are making great strides towards helping marine wildlife survivor their ever changing environments. Although not all of the animals taken in by the facility survive the health problems they had experienced, Johnson did state that the majority of them are released back into the wild after they recuperate.