A deadly disease is spiking among California’s sea lions — and dog owners taking beach walks should stay on alert, experts say
In July, the Marine Mammal Center’s Sausalito hospital checked in more than 100 sea lions — many of them from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties — suffering from the bacterial disease leptospirosis. That number wouldn’t be unprecedented later in the year, but center spokesperson Giancarlo Rulli said an outbreak this early represents “a bit of a phenomenon.”
“We’ve never seen 100-plus California sea lions come into our hospital with leptospirosis in the month of July before,” Rulli said. “The open-ended question that we are very much preparing for is that there is no clear indication as to how long this may last.”…