Ongoing algal bloom in South Australia contributes to spike in sea lion pup deaths

ABC NEWS (Australia)

South Australia's harmful algal bloom is being partly blamed for a significant spike in Australian sea lion pup deaths. The state government says 84 dead pups were recently recorded on the Pages Islands. Scientists are working to bolster the resilience of the endangered species as the threat of bird flu also approaches.

Transcript

00:00These pups are among an estimated 10,000 Australian sea lions left in the wild.

00:10Hunting ended over a century ago, but their numbers continue to decline.

00:18Commercial fishing, parasites and climate change have all had a devastating effect.

00:23They're beautiful and cute and gorgeous and they play around and they look like they're having a lovely time.

00:29But they have an uphill battle to actually become a juvenile.

00:34At Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island, sea lions are a major tourism drawcard.

00:40We've got a lot of high retention of staff here, which is because the sea lions kind of get under your skin.

00:44The sea lion colony here at Seal Bay has many threats.

00:47But what it also has is a dedicated team of researchers who are doing everything they can to save its vulnerable pups.

00:58The researchers climb up and down the cliffs to give the pups a quick health care check.

01:05We're going to wait.

01:07What's got George?

01:0811.2.

01:10They take fur samples to test for contaminants.

01:13And treat the pups against the potentially fatal hookworm.

01:20Alright puppy, you're done.

01:22Hookworm is basically an intestinal nematode.

01:24So it basically gets into the wall of the intestine and it causes a lot of inflammation.

01:29It causes hemorrhage.

01:32Wild weather has destroyed important breeding sites.

01:35There was a lot of displacement between mums and pups and it certainly has driven the mortality for this season.

01:42On the nearby Pages Islands, scientists say nutritional stress caused by the algal bloom contributed to an almost 30% jump in pup mortalities.

01:52It's another boy.

01:53They're also concerned about the looming threat of bird flu, which has devastated marine mammals elsewhere.

01:59Alright sweetie.

02:00Well done.

02:01But there's hope their research could help evaluate vaccines against bird flu.

02:06Their stories started long before us.

02:09Every pup born at Seal Bay is a reminder that there's still wilderness out there.

02:14You know, it's all about the choices that we make now.

02:20So far, the ongoing research is making a positive difference for these beautiful animals.

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended