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This summer 2018, a photo provided by the Marine Mammal Center shows a California sea lion, Yakshack, at the Marine Mammal Center, a rescue center in Sausalito, California. (Bill Hunnewell / Marine Mammal Center via AP) (Associated Press)
SAUSALITO, Calif. – A rescue center says California sea lions are falling with a potentially deadly bacterial infection in record numbers.
The Sausalito Marine Mammal Center reports that more than 220 sea lions rescued this year have been diagnosed with leptospirosis.
This is the second largest epidemic recorded by the emergency center.
According to the center, epidemics are not rare, but the most recent one dates back to 2011. It involved nearly 200 sea lions.
The bacterial infection affects the kidneys and can be fatal if it is not treated. The Marine Mammal Center says that the strain affecting sea lions has also been observed in pigs, skunks and foxes. It is transmitted by infected urine, directly or in contaminated water or soil.
It is not known how fur seals became infected.
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