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Sea Lions in Los Angeles
Moviegoers can be forgiven if they believe that the coyotes roaming desert to yodel over modernist rooftops are the wildlife stars of Los Angeles, but most people who follow the Pacific closely know better, especially during the winter months, when the beach fun comes in and their noise is replaced by the barking sea. Sea lions stand out like their tiny ears and are louder, generally heavier and more social than their seal cousins - the latter’s lack of external ears is a quick way to distinguish them. Sea lions also have longer fins to distance themselves from the beach, so they are also land dwellers, sometimes traveling as far as a mile in the urban jungles of Los Angeles.
“We call them ocean dogs because they’re playful and they get around,” said CEO Amber Becerra. Care of Marine Mammals Headquarters is a rescue center in Los Angeles. Their sociability comes in part from how they were raised. “Seals only need six months to breastfeed with their mothers. Sea lions need more than a year.”
Thanks to the recent pandemic beach bans that have given sea lions space to gain ground, particularly on the long deserted shores of Los Angeles, there’s never been a better time to control sea lions off the coast of Southern California.
“We have a theory that animals evolve when humans stay indoors,” Ms. Becerra said. “The rule of thumb in the wild is to stay at least 50 feet away from them,” she added.
The center is open to the public. To get close to herring-throwing range, make an appointment for the 11am feeding time and head to the back pools, where staff feed 70 “patients” a day. The cubs often show off by splashing like ballerinas from pools when visitors are present. When they are fat enough and trained to catch fish, they are released back to the Pacific.
Otherwise, it’s easy to find them in the wild. Just listen to the barks. One of its more popular hangouts is a two-hour drive south of Los Angeles. La Jolla Bay, a large sea lion rookery. A cliff path along the coast takes you just above and below sea lion colonies. Children’s Pool Beachwhere they spread out together like a giant shag rug.
King’s Harbor There are so many sea lions on Redondo Beach that it has become a point of contention among property owners, fishermen and environmentalists.
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