Celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week With The Marine Mammal Center!

Sea otters are the furriest creatures in the world!

Join The Marine Mammal Center this Sunday, Sept. 22, as we kick off Sea Otter Awareness Week with our Sea Otter Spectacular - otterly awesome themed classroom talks and tours! Read on to learn more about this threatened species and get the latest U.S. Geological Survey California sea otter census results.

"White Gold" or "Bloody Teeth"?

Call on China to stem the surging demand for illegal ivory that is fueling the slaughter of Africa's remaining elephants.

Just days after Zimbabwe authorities reported the discovery of 41 dead elephants, poisoned by poachers, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to destroy the US ivory stockpile. The government will crush the 6 million tons of seized ivory, forever removing it from the illegal market while raising awareness of this international threat to elephants and security.

Goal: 50,000 • Progress: 47,906

Sponsored by: The Rainforest Site

After facing decimation in the 1980s, a global ban on ivory sales barely saved Africa's elephants from extinction.
Then, in 2008 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) agreed to unleash stockpiles of ivory in a "one-off" sale to China, and the decision kicked off a surge in demand for the coveted "white gold". Rather than reduce the need for black-market ivory and the poaching that supplies it, China's growing middle class wants more.
And they are willing to pay for it. Soaring prices encourage more poaching and attract the attention of armed rebel groups, corrupt government officials, and international criminal organizations. The profits, in turn, fund other illegal activities elsewhere in the world.
2011 and 2012 were especially lethal years for elephants, smashing previous records for illegal ivory seizures, typically captured en route to China. The trend shows no sign of slowing in 2013.
Petition the Chinese Ambassador to the United States to help reverse this bloody path towards extinction.

Standing Up To Illegal Whaling Operations — Care2 Member Takes the Lead! by Andrew A. September 30, 2009 10:50 pm

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For years, a portion of the Japanese whaling fleet has engaged in illegal whaling activities in the Antarctic and lack of enforcement and regulation has allowed them to operate largely unopposed. Operating under the Dutch flag, Sea Shepherd, an international, non-violent organization protecting the world’s oceans, has tried to stop these poachers, but have been met with strong resistance.
In fact, powerful resistance from the illegal whaling industry has been on the uptick. Whaling operations have repeatedly complained to the Dutch government about the work Sea Shepherd has done to protect whales because it has cut into their industry. Unfortunately, it appears as though the illegal whalers may have finally succeeded in gaining enough traction to dictate Dutch law and are trying to enact a ban on Sea Shepherd’s work in the Netherlands.
For Care2 member Claudia, from the Netherlands, the thought of losing Sea Shepherd had huge ramifications for the health of whales and other ocean life. Starting a citizen petition, she quickly saw that thousands of people in her country and countries around the world supported the Sea Shepherd’s work. Her petition generated over 7,000 signatures urging the Dutch Government to stand strong and support the international laws protecting whales that the Sea Shepherds standup for.
On Tuesday September 22nd, Claudia went to The Hague (the Netherlands’ seat of government) to meet with two cabinet members — delivering 7,697 signatures urging the Netherlands government to continue to let Sea Shepherd sail under the Dutch flag and not be bullied by the whaling industry.
On behalf of myself and Care2, we’d like to give Claudia and everyone else who’s actively making the world a better place a huge a round of applause! We know there are thousands of you just like Claudia and together we’re making real changes. Please share your success stories by emailing me here: successstories@earth.care2.com

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/standing-up-to-illegal-whaling-operations-care2-member-takes-the-lead.html#ixzz2f6XocJY5

Orca Family Cares for Disabled Calf Posted by Michael Mountain on Thursday, May 23, 2013 ·

This young orca is missing her dorsal fin and her right-side pectoral fin. That means she can’t navigate well, and can’t catch food on her own.
You might imagine that the other killer whales in her family pod would have had to abandon her and do what’s best for the pod overall. But it seems that what’s good for the pod overall involves looking after the youngster, even if this slows them all down a bit.
Rather than being left to fend for herself, then, the young orca is being cared for by the rest of the family.
Underwater photographer Rainer Schimpf came face to face with the youngster off the coast of South Africa. Rather than being left to fend for herself, the young orca is being cared for by the rest of the family.
He told reporters: "Incapable of fast hunting and ambushing prey it has to be dependent on the pod which, one assumes, looks after it very well. It shows these mammals are not really just ruthless killing machines but they also have complex, caring social-structures in which they and care for their own disabled members."
He said the younger orca was following the family and seemed to be falling behind, staying at a distance while the rest of the pod was hunting for food. But then she would dive down to where the other were – apparently to join in when it was time to eat.
Orcas have very close family bonds. Last year, a group of orca experts published a study showing that female orcas have the longest menopause of any nonhuman species. Most animals don’t live long after their days of being able to reproduce are over. Humans, as we know, have an extended menopause, and this appears to have developed because of the benefits to the family of having grandmothers who can join in the raising of the children.
The same seems to apply with orcas. Dr. Emma Foster, lead author of the study, wrote:

Like humans, female killer whales … stop reproducing in their 30s-40s, but can survive into their 90s. The benefit of a menopause to both human and killer whale mothers is in spreading their genes. The different ways this has evolved reflects the different structure of human and killer whale societies.
While it is believed that the menopause evolved in humans partly to allow women to focus on providing support for their grandchildren, our research shows that female killer whales act as lifelong carers for their own offspring, particularly their adult sons.

That’s because in orca families adult sons stay with their mothers as long as the mother lives. One famous orca matriarch, known to researchers as J2 (she’s the leader of the "J" pod of resident orcas in the Salish Sea off the coast of Seattle) is thought to be around 102 years old. One of her sons, J1, stayed close to her side until he died, a few years ago, at around the age of 60.
Everything we know about orcas and all the species of dolphins leads us to understand that they have very close family bonds and a sophisticated culture about which we still know relatively little.
But one thing we know for sure is that none of these animals belong in captivity for the purposes of entertaining humans.

At Washington University in St. Louis, pediatrics residents use cats to learn how to insert a breathing tube in a human infant. They force long tubes down the cats' windpipes, which can cause bruising, bleeding, scarring and intense pain. The cats will be abused again and again like this for years.

Sponsored by: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Washington University is the only civilian medical center training doctors that continues this inhumane practice. We've scored major victories in the past — and recently convinced the University of Virginia to stop using cats. But we can't rest until every cat is safe from this severe form of cruelty.
These procedures are completely unnecessary because human infant simulators — used at every other medical center in the U.S. — provide a superior learning experience and are cruelty-free. In fact, Washington University uses simulators to teach intubation procedures to practicing physicians, but they refuse to use them for pediatrics resident training. It doesn't make sense!
Tell Washington University to put a stop to this cruel and inhumane practice before they harm another cat.

Domoic Acid Presents a Puzzle for Marine Mammal Experts

The central California coast is experiencing harmful algae blooms that produce the toxin domoic acid, a threat to sea lions and other marine life.

September 10, 2013
It's always great when a story has a happy ending, and such was the case with Perfume, a California sea lion who was one of a number of sea lions being treated for domoic acid toxicity at The Marine Mammal Center over the past few weeks. Perfume was released back to the ocean on Saturday, September 7, at Scotty Creek Beach near Bodega Bay. A crowd of onlookers and well wishers watched as she joyously made her way back home.

Perfume returns home to the ocean, at Scotty Creek Beach in Sonoma County

September 5, 2013

Currently, The Marine Mammal Center has a large number of patients affected by domoic acid:  Marilou, Vuronica, Shia, Perfume, Lumi, Surfer, Jerika, Late Night, Bautista, and Whirley. Several others have been released following successful treatment, and two have died during treatment. These patients, all of them California sea lions, were rescued in the past few weeks along the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County coast.

Perfume is a California sea lion who was rescued in San Luis Obispo County, suffering from domoic acid toxicity (acute) © The Marine Mammal Center

What is domoic acid?
Domoic acid is a neurotoxin associated with algal blooms which can have serious effects on marine mammals and humans when it gets into the food chain. It was first discovered in the red algae known as "doumoi" in Japanese, hence the origin of the name, although this algae is not traditionally related to the toxicities that we see. Domoic acid is often referred to as “red tide,” although this is a misnomer, since the algae is often colorless, or has colors other than red. It is also not typically associated with the movement of the tides. Scientists prefer the term “harmful algal bloom.”
Domoic acid is produced by the algae Pseudo-nitzschia and accumulates in shellfish, sardines, and anchovies. These fish are then eaten by sea lions, otters, cetaceans, and humans, among others. If consumed in significant quantities, domoic acid can cause seizures and other central nervous problems. Exposure to the biotoxin affects the brain, causing those affected to become lethargic and disoriented. In humans, domoic acid toxicity manifests itself as “Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning,” which can cause short-term memory loss, brain damage, and even death in some cases.

Shia is another California sea lion patient suffering from domoic acid toxicity (acute) © The Marine Mammal Center

Diagnosis of domoic acid toxicity is based on clinical signs and the known presence of Pseudo-nitzschia algae in the environment. The toxin itself is often long gone from the animals by the time they are examined. The Center’s researchers diagnosed the first case of domoic acid toxicosis in marine mammals in 1998, and have conducted extensive studies of the condition since then.

Why is this information so important? 
Marine mammals are like canaries in the coal mine -   they warn us of potentially serious environmental conditions in the ocean that can affect not only marine mammals, but humans and other animals as well.
This information also provides critical data for scientists conducting research on global health, and it contributes vital information to resource managers who monitor human activities that impact marine mammals in the area.  Equally important, it provides substantive evidence to help inspire protection and conservation of the ocean and those creatures that call it home.
What causes harmful algal blooms?
No one knows for sure, but Pseudo-nitzschia (and most microorganisms, for that matter) really like nitrogenous waste products/nitrates, and other fertilizers (being plants of a sort).  There are a lot of maps that show algal blooms forming at major river mouths or other waste outfall areas. Also, when the algal cells die or are consumed by animals, domoic acid is released.  Thus there is ample evidence that human activity can lead to worsening blooms of harmful algae and affect the health of our sea lion patients.

Phytoplankton monitoring carried out by the CDPH Marine Biotoxin Monitoring Program along the California coast

© California Department of Public Health

The California Department of Public Health website currently shows that Pseudo-nitzschia is common or abundant at every phytoplankton sampling site throughout the 600-mile rescue range covered by The Marine Mammal Center. However, high concentrations of Pseudo-nitzschia do not always mean high levels of domoic acid are present because phytoplankton don’t always produce the toxin.  So sometimes there are Pseudo-nitzschia blooms without any increase in sea lions stranding with domoic acid toxicity.
Since the first sea lions affected by these blooms began coming into The Marine Mammal Center about two weeks ago, we’ve noticed that the more recently rescued animals are showing more intense symptoms. The puzzle confronting our veterinarians is why the severity is increasing. They are trying to determine if it is caused by a longer exposure time, an increasing amount of toxin in the water, or simply that these particular animals had previously been exposed to the toxin and are now experiencing an acute poisoning, with the combination of previous exposures causing more severe illness.
Stay tuned as our research and veterinary science teams learn more.
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Build-A-Bear Recall! 26,000 Stuffed Sulleys August 30, 2013 by Patricia-Anne Tom 2

Look out for this furry blue creature! Build-A-Bear is recalling about 26,000 of its Sulley stuffed animals in the United States and Canada, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports. The eye can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children, though thankfully no injuries or incidents have been reported. And yes, we mean Sulley, the furry blue creature from the Monsters movies; this particular model measures about 17 inches high and 10.5 inches wide. Get all of the details at the CPSC.