According to field experts, a toxic algae has led a toxic algae in a sea lion attacks on the beach in Southern California.
Usually humble and playful creatures can occur violent and disorient when infected with domicic acid poisoning, a neurological disease caused by seasonal algae that is poisonous to sea lions.
At the end of March, the surfer and wildlife enthusiasts were out on RJ Lamedola water, when he was ambushed by a sea lion to the north of Los Angeles.
The 20 -year -old surfing veteran shared in a Facebook post on March 21 that he was riding waves in solitude when a sea lion appeared outside even from somewhere and started brutally charging it.
Lamendola recalled the initial approach of the creature before disappearing under the water surface, which he was scrambling to the edge.
Before a long time, the animal appeared again, stopping its teeth and looking like “a deranged hunter”, this time according to his post, making tremendous contact with his board.
After a small struggle, the sea lion drowned his teeth in Lamandola’s buttocks and pulled it into water.
“I don’t know how I was described at that moment. In that moment I was gripped from the shore, so far, so helpless, staring in the face of this creature, what I had seen, as I had ever seen – its expression was wild, almost demonic, curiosity or fickleness I was always associated with marine lions,” he wrote.
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He managed to break freely and go back to his board, to avoid three to four additional efforts to pull him by the sea lion.
The creature scolded him back to the beach.
Bleeding, Lamndola rushed himself to the hospital, where his wounds were treated.
Lamendola says he later arrived at the Wildlife Institute, Channel Island, who informed him that it was dealing with a wave of attacks in Santa Barbara and Ventura County including sea lion and other maritime lives affected by Domicic acid toxicosis.
John Warner, CEO of the mammal care center at Los Angeles, who is also treating the wildlife affected by the disease, told the BBC that the sea lions are “not naturally aggressive”, but toxins changed their behavior.
“These animals are reacting to the fact that they are ill … they are disoriently, and most likely, most of them have recovered, and so their senses are not completely functional because they are normally, and they are working out of fear,” they explained.
Sea lions swallow small creatures such as Ankovi and Sardin that eat poison algae, which have been seasonally blossomed in California for the last four years.
According to the BBC, the bloom began before normal this year and spread about 370 miles (595 km) along the beach of California.
In the south where Lamandola was attacked, a 15 -year -old girl was participating in a swimming examination a few days ago when an infected sea lion a little bit.
CNN reported that Fobe Beltran was participating in Lifeguard Triaouts in 1,000-yard swimming in long beach on Sunday, when the incident happened, CNN reported; At that time his mother was on the beach.
“I was just so scared, so surprised, but I still felt very pain on my arms, like, repeatedly,” she told Kakal News, saying that the sea lion caught repeatedly and caught her and she was struggling to understand what was happening.
The wildlife center is currently filled with influx of sick animals. According to Warner, the organization treated at least 195 sea lions between 20 February by the end of March. During the same time limit last year, the Center saw only 50 animals, saying the BBC.
If treated properly, sea lions are likely to recover 50 to 65 percent.
Treatment includes anti-court medication, tube feeding, fainting action and hydration.
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