CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
October 24, 2013 | By Samantha Schaefer
At least two sea lions that died from gunshot wounds have washed ashore in Malibu this month, wildlife rescuers said. Illegal shootings of sea lions occur each year in October when squid fishing season begins, Jonsie Ross at the California Wildfire Center told CBS Los Angeles . The Malibu Times reported that two of the ocean mammals found on the coast had died of bullet wounds and that a third bore suspicious injuries. CBS Los Angeles said at least three sea lions had been killed by gunshots.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
October 24, 2013 | By Samantha Schaefer, This post has been corrected. See note at the bottom for details.
Four sea lions with evidence of gunshot wounds have been recovered from Malibu beaches in the last two months, wildlife rescuers said Thursday. The two such sea lions found this month had confirmed gunshot bodies, though it is unclear if they were shot before or after they died, said David Bard, director of the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, a hospital that treats the animals. Bullets were pulled from two of the four sea lions, and the other two had evidence of gunshot wounds, said Jonsie Ross, a marine mammal stranding coordinator at the California Wildlife Center.
NEWS
April 3, 2013 | By Karin Klein
Did former Rep. Gabby Giffords' stepdaughter do no wrong when her dog broke free from her in Laguna Beach and killed a baby sea lion? Was she so in the wrong that this should become a (literal) federal case? The 18-year-old had the American bulldog mix on a leash, as the law requires, while she walked him on the beach. But when the dog saw the baby sea lion, he managed to pull the leash out of her hands. He then attacked the seal, and by the time the dog could be pulled off - by former astronaut Mark Kelly, Gifford's husband and the young woman's father - it already had inflicted fatal wounds.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 2, 2013 | By Rick Rojas
Sea lion pups have been washing up on Southern California beaches at an alarming rate and the situation has become serious enough for officials to declare an "unusual mortality event. " The severely underweight pups, some clinging to life, have been found stranded on beaches from Santa Barbara to San Diego at rates exponentially higher than in years past. In Los Angeles County, nearly 400 pups have been stranded since the beginning of the year. Last year, 36 were reported during that stretch.
SCIENCE
April 2, 2013 | By Amina Khan
Sea lions can't sing along to music, but they might just dance to the beat. Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have trained Ronan the California sea lion to bob along to a variety of musical genres, making her the first mammal (besides humans) to respond to rhythm. The findings, described in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, may help shed light on the origins of the brain's ability to sync sound and movement. Other animals have been shown to get their boogie on, but they're typically birds like cockatoos and parrots, well versed in vocal mimicry.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 1, 2013 | By Rick Rojas
Federal marine wildlife officials said that a mass stranding of malnourished sea lion pups along the Southern California coast since January has intensified in recent weeks and researchers remain unsure of the cause. Officials declared an "unusual mortality event" for the California sea lion, a designation that prompts immediate federal response after a significant die-off of a marine mammal population. The declaration comes as sea lion pups have been found stranded on Southern California beaches -- from Santa Barbara to San Diego -- at rates exponentially higher than in years past.