SeaWorld San Diego’s team has taken in 21 sea lions, four pelicans and one dolphin that were poisoned by domoic acid, reports NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada.
Dozens of marine mammals -- including dolphins — have been sickened by a toxic algae bloom off the San Diego's coast, according to SeaWorld.
Although scientists have recorded domoic-acid blooms every year recently, the number of cases this year has already surpassed the last two years.
Jeni Smith, the curator of the SeaWorld San Diego rescue program, said that, despite their team’s lifesaving efforts, nine of the sea lions they’ve taken in died and “SeaWorld has responded to two dolphins. One dolphin went back into the water; one dolphin we rescued and unfortunately didn’t make it."
SeaWorld San Diego's team has taken in 21 sea lions and four pelicans that were poisoned with the harmful toxin.
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“Our truck will come in ... and then we’ll bring the animals into our critical care building,” Smith said. “Everything starts here. This is the emergency room. We’re also the 911 operator. We have a hotline phone. We answer all the phone calls."
According to Smith, the animals are getting sick from eating fish that have been infected with the toxic algae.
“They may be observed to be having seizures," Smith said. "It can affect their brain, it can affect their heart."
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Smith said the number of calls is increasing.
“They’re in pretty bad shape when we rescue them, and it’s just concerning, the number of animals we’re seeing and how quickly we had an increase in calls,” Smith said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that more than 100 dolphins have been affected by this domoic acid event — which the agency says is a much more than in previous events by this time of year. This could be because the algae is getting pushed to where dolphins are more common, in deeper offshore waters, according to NOAA, citing scientists.
The agency also said Thursday that in the past two weeks, eight long-beaked common dolphins have died on San Diego beaches.
The treatment is relatively simple but can make all the difference.
“We give every animal fluids," Smith said. "They also have a vet check, and the vets may prescribe anti-seizure medicine."
The animals that do recover are returned back to the wild.
Smith said it’s important to keep a 50-foot distance between you and the sea lion and contact their rescue team if you notice symptoms of concern.
Researchers are still trying to determine the effects of the toxicity long-term.
