Toxic alga has led to an increase in the sea lion attacks on beach lovers in the south CaliforniaAccording to experts from the region.
Typically docile and playful creatures can become violent and disoriented when they are infected with a toxicosis of domoic acid, a neurological disease caused by seasonal algae which is toxic to sea lions.
At the end of March, the surfer and the wildlife enthusiast, RJ Landola, was on the water when he was caught by a sea lion north of Los Angeles.
The 20 -year -old surf veteran shared in an article on Facebook On March 21, he went up in the waves of loneliness when a sea lion appeared from nowhere and began to charge him fiercely.
Landola remembers dodging the initial approach to the creature before disappearing below the surface of the water, letting it rush for the shore.
Before a long time, the animal reappeared, denuded its teeth and resembling “a disturbed predator”, this time by establishing an energetic contact with its board of directors, according to its post.
After a short struggle, the sea lion sank his teeth into the Landola buttocks and dragged her into the water.
“I do not know how to describe the fear that grabbed me at that time. So far from the bank, so helpless, looking at the face of this creature which was unlike anything ever seen-its expression was wild, almost demonic, devoid of curiosity or the playful that I had always associated with sea lions,” he wrote.
Get national news
For news that has an impact on Canada and worldwide, register for the safeguarding of news alerts that are delivered to you directly when they occur.
He managed to free himself and fought on his board, avoiding three to four additional attempts from the Sea Lion to shoot him.
The creature tracked him down at the beach.
Landola grooved himself to the hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
Lamendola recovering from the hospital after being bitten by a sea lion in southern California at the end of March.
RJ Landola / Facebook
Lamendola says that he then contacted the Wildlife Institute of Channel Island, which informed him that he was facing a wave of attacks through Santa Barbara and the county of Ventura involving sea lions and other marine life affected by the toxicosis of Domo acid.
John Warner, CEO of the Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles, who also treats fauna affected by the disease, said to the BBC That the sea lions are not “naturally aggressive” but that the toxins modify their behavior.
“These animals react to the fact that they are sick … They are disoriented and, most likely, most of them have crises, and therefore their senses are not all fully functional as they would normally, and they act out of fear,” he explained.
Sea lions have ingested smaller creatures such as anchovies and sardines that eat poison algae, which have flourished seasonal in California for four years.
According to the BBC, flowering began earlier than normal this year and spread to around 370 miles (595 km) along the Californian coast.
South of the place where Landola was attacked, a 15 -year -old girl participated in a swimming test a few days ago when an infected sea lion bit her.
Phoebe Beltran participated in a 1,000 yarn beach swimming on Sunday in rescuing tests when the incident occurred, CNN reported; His mother was on the beach at the time.
“I was so afraid, so shocked, but I always felt the immense pain on my arms, like, again and again,” She told Kcal NewsAdding that the sea lion caught up in several times and was held to her and that she had trouble understanding what was going on.
The Wildlife Center is currently flooded with an influx of sick animals. According to Warner, the organization treated at least 195 sea lions between February 20 and at the end of March. During the same period last year, the center saw only 50 of the animals, says the BBC.
If they are treated properly, sailors have between 50 and 65% of recovery.
Treatment includes anti-sector drugs, tube feeding, sedation and hydration.
& Copy 2025 Global News, A Division of Corus Entertainment Inc.