"The organization received reports on its hotline of a California sea lion on the busy beach Sunday and a team of trained volunteers from the hospital's triage facility in Castroville arrived at the beach just after 3 p.m. The sea lion weighed about 200 pounds and appeared to be in poor condition, said Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. It was reactive and registered the volunteers' presence but was lethargic."
"The rescue comes in the middle of a severe outbreak of leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that causes kidney failure in sea lions. The behavior of the sea lion at Natural Bridges was consistent with some leptospirosis symptoms, but the Marine Mammal Center cannot yet confirm whether the animal was infected. This year's leptospirosis outbreak has been the largest on record, Rulli said."
A California sea lion weighing about 200 pounds washed up at Natural Bridges State Beach and was reported to the Marine Mammal Center's hotline. Trained volunteers from the Castroville triage facility arrived shortly after 3 p.m., corralled the lethargic but reactive animal into a metal box, and carried it up the beach. The sea lion stayed overnight at the Castroville triage center and was found dead the following morning. It will be transported to the main hospital in Sausalito for an autopsy to determine cause of illness and death. The rescue occurred during the largest recorded leptospirosis outbreak, with over 450 cases since July 1.
Read at www.santacruzsentinel.com
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