Death of Sea Lion Found at Seal Beach Not Believed Related to 14 Earlier Deaths

A sea lion that washed ashore Saturday at Seal Beach died Sunday morning, but marine authorities said the death apparently is not related to those of 14 other sea lions found dead on county beaches in the last week.

The 300-pound male sea lion may have come up to the beach to die naturally, according to Dan LeBlanc, spokesman for Sea World of San Diego. The marine park dispatched a team of biologists to pick up the animal Saturday night. He died at Sea World on Sunday, and a decision on whether to conduct a necropsy was expected today.

“It could be a geriatric case or the animal may have had some debilitating illness,” LeBlanc said Sunday. “It is not that unusual for a sea lion to end up on the beach like this one did.”

The dying animal was discovered by beach-goers about 9 a.m. Saturday, thrashing along the water line near Anaheim Bay. Authorities contacted Sea World for assistance.

No External Inuries

The sea lion had no external injuries, unlike 14 others that have washed ashore severely decomposed or decapitated.

Officials of Friends of the Sea Lion, a Laguna Beach organization, have speculated that those animals died of viral infections or were killed by commercial fishing operators.

“It appears there is no connection whatsoever between this animal and the others,” said Lori Genetive , a spokeswoman for the group. “It is not unusual for sea lions that are sick, injured or just tired to come up on the beach. This animal was obviously sick; he was lethargic and very, very weak.”

Genetive said the animal was an adult.

Judi Jones, director of Friends of the Sea Lion, said the animals live 15 to 20 years. However, she added that once males reach maturity at about 5 years, it is impossible to distinguish a young male from an old one.