Sea Lion Pups Continue To Die Along Southern Californian Coast, Scientists Struggle To Find Answers [Video]

Baby animals never fail to bring a smile to your face. They're the most charming, joyful creatures on our planet. They're nature's happy drug. That's why scientists are now desperately struggling to figure out why hundreds of starving sea lion pups are washing up on beaches along the California's southern coast.

Sharon Melin, a wildlife biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service reports that 45 percent of pups born in June have died. Normally, over two-thirds of newborn sea lions survive their first arduous weeks. The death rate has gotten so high that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared an "unusual morality event," which will attract more scientists to the area to research the odd phenomenon.

Not only are the pups rapidly dying off, but the ones that survive are uncharacteristically underweight. A slew of pups found at a breeding area on San Miguel Island weighed only 37 pounds, nearly 20 pounds less than what they usually weigh at this point in their infancy. Melin is unsure how the pups are making their way to the mainland, but assumes that they must be using the strong currents to help propel them to shore.

"That's a long way, and they are very small," she said. "They don't have a lot of fat, and the water is pretty cold. They are often dehydrated, which is typical with emaciation. It puts them in pretty bad condition." Melin theorizes that the pups are left without food for too long and venture to shore out of starvation, abandoned by their mothers.

The rate of stranded sea lion pups is nearly three times higher than usual, said Jim Milbury of the National Marine Fisheries Service. Between January 1 and March 24, rescue centers saved 948 sea lions, an alarming increase from the 100 rescued last year during the same period.

Southern California rescue centers have become so crowded that many pups are now being sent to Northern California, said Jeff Boehm from The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, currently tending to 30 malnourished pups. Scientists are still unsure as to why the pups are in such poor condition, but believe that limited food may be a factor.

"These two species of fish [anchovies and sardines] are an extremely important part of California sea lions' diets, and females simply may not have been able to nurse their young sufficiently, resulting in abandonment, premature weaning and subsequent strandings," Boehm said.

The situation has escalated to the point where rescuers over look the weakest pups and give their attention and limited resources to the stronger ones. Sea lion pups and other baby animals are typically a joy to treat, but not like this. Something's got to give before we lose more of the world's most adorable day makers.