A sea lion receiving care at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, California, shows signs of domoic acid poisoning.
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Sea lions in California are becoming sick and aggressive toward people after consuming high levels of domoic acid, a neurotoxin found in algal blooms. Over just three to four weeks, the Marine Mammal Care Center, a nonprofit rescue organization in Los Angeles County, received more than 20 reports of the creatures biting swimmers at beaches, writes Rachel Barnes for Patch.com.
“It literally affects their brains, and the behavior of sea lions—especially when the concentrations of domoic acid are quite high—is drastically changed,” John Warner, the CEO…
