California

Hundreds of Sea Lion Pups Are Dying off California’s Coast, and Scientists Don’t Know Why

Surveys of a herd off Northern California show 300 dead pups in three weeks. Is it algae, bird flu, or maybe El Niño? Experts are puzzled.
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Hundreds of Sea Lion Pups Are Dying off California’s Coast, and Scientists Don’t Know Why
UC Santa Cruz researchers are studying why seal pups are dying near Año Nuevo Island, midway between San Francisco and Santa Cruz. Patrick Robinson/UC Santa Cruz
Jill McLaughlin
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Hundreds of dead sea lion pups have washed ashore this spring near an island off the California coast, and researchers are trying to find out why.

“We’re seeing something abnormal,” University of California–Santa Cruz researcher George Colaco told The Epoch Times.

Jill McLaughlin
Jill McLaughlin
Author
Jill McLaughlin is an award-winning journalist covering politics, environment, and statewide issues. She has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Oregon, Nevada, and New Mexico. Jill was born in Yosemite National Park and enjoys the majestic outdoors, traveling, golfing, and hiking.