"Pups are often left on land while their moms go to forage which makes them very vulnerable to humans approaching them or seeking to pet them," Toye said. Sea lion pups remain dependent on their mothers for up to 11 months and spend a lot of their time hauled out on the beach while they are young. Moment killer whale chases sea lion to shore in "roller-coaster" encounter.California's sea lions are getting bigger.Navy is teaching sea lions to play video games-and they love it We have around 150 to 200 sea lions here with some seasonal peaks and around 100 seals." "Harbor seals give birth during February and March and California sea lions in June and July. "This means that they in our area year round," Toye said. Handling wild animals may pose a risk to humans too: "They may carry a range of diseases and bacteria which can result in serious infections, and are likely to bite or respond negatively to human interaction when provoked," Warner said.īoth harbor seals and California sea lions are native to the North American west coast and have established breeding areas in La Jolla. "People getting close or touching their pups can lead to a disruption of the bonding between a mom and her pup and may lead to her abandoning it," Carol Toye from the Sierra Club Seal Society in San Diego told Newsweek. ![]() Touching these animals can also threaten the relationship between a mother and her pups. ![]() "Every pup's feed is timed by its mother to ensure her pup gets all the nutrients and calories her pup needs to give it the best chance of survival," Sue Sayer, from the Seal Research Trust in the U.K, told Newsweek. Moving away from humans can cause the animals to waste precious energy reserves and disrupt essential feeding schedules for their young pups. Touching sea lion pups can disturb the bond between a mother and her child, causing them to be abandoned, experts said. Stills from a video showing a man petting a seal pup in La Jolla.
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