“Fever” sea lion attack on California beaches blames toxic algae – National

According to experts in the region, the toxic algae caused a sea lion attack on Southern California beach travelers.

When infected with polysaccharide toxicity, the typical docile and playful organisms can become violent and disorienting, a neurological disease caused by seasonal algae that is toxic to sea lions.

In late March, surfer and wildlife enthusiast RJ Lamendola came out when he was ambushed by a sea lion north of Los Angeles.

The 20-year surfing veteran shared in a Facebook post on March 21 that when the sea lion was overwhelmed, he began to make violent charges against him.

Lamendola recalls the initial way to hide from the creature, and then it disappeared under the water, causing him to rush to climb ashore.

Soon after, the animal reappeared, revealing its teeth and looking like a “frenzy predator”, this time in intense contact with his board.

After a brief struggle, the sea lion sank her teeth into Ramendora's hips and dragged him into the water.

He wrote: “I had no idea that the moment I caught my fear on the shore. So helpless, staring at the creature's face, looked like I've never seen it – its expression was wild, almost devilish, with little curiosity or frolic associated with sea lions.”

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He managed to break freely and fell back on the board, avoiding the Sea Lion's three or four other attempts to pull him down.

The creature followed him back to the beach.

Lamendola bleeded and drove to the hospital where he was treated for the wound.

Lamendora said he later contacted the Wildlife Institute on Strait Island, which told him it was dealing with a wave of attacks involving sea lions and other marine lions and other marine creatures affected by domia acid toxicity.

John Warner, CEO of the Los Angeles Mammal Care Center, also treated wildlife affected by the disease, told the BBC that sea lions are not “naturally aggressive” but that toxins change their behavior.

“These animals responded to the fact that they were sick… They were lost and most people had epilepsy, so their senses didn't work as much as they normally would and act out of fear.”

Sea lions have ingested smaller organisms such as anchovies and sardines that eat poisonous algae, and have bloomed seasonally in California over the past four years.

According to the BBC, Bloom started earlier than normal this year, extending about 370 miles (595 kilometers) along the California coastline.

A 15-year-old girl was taking a swimming test in the south of Lamendora when an infected sea lion bit her a few days ago.

Phoebe Beltran performed a 1,000-yard swim in Long Beach on Sunday at the time of the incident, CNN reported. Her mother was on the beach at the time.

“I was so scared, so shocked, but I still felt a huge pain, like over and over again,” she told KCAL News. He added that the sea lion repeatedly grabbed and grabbed her, and she was trying to understand what was going on.

Currently, wildlife centers are flooded with a large number of animals. According to Warner, the organization treated at least 195 sea lions between February 20 and the end of March. The BBC said that during the same period last year, the center saw only 50 animals.

If properly treated, the chances of recovery of sea lions are between 50% and 65%.

Treatment includes anti-Setella drugs, tube feeding, sedation and hydration.

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