A man was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly beating a sea lion suffering from domoic acid poisoning on Ventura Beach, according to authorities.
Surveillance footage captured a man later identified as 32-year-old Christopher Hurtado attacking a California sea lion on Harbor Boulevard, according to a Ventura Police Department news release. The man was hitting the beached animal with a large stick.
Officers detained Hurtado, who tried to flee, and found methamphetamine, police said. Hurtado was booked on suspicion of felony animal cruelty, felony possession of a controlled substance and violation of federal laws protecting marine mammals.
The sea lion was suffering from domoic acid poisoning, officials said. California State Parks officers notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The adult female California sea lion was taken to a treatment center to be monitored, according to the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute.
“It is a crime under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to intentionally harass or injure sea lions. We are grateful for the quick response by the Ventura Police Department and look forward to working with them and California State Parks on this investigation,” said Assistant Director Greg Busch with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement in the release.
Domoic acid is a neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms that accumulates in filter-feeding fish, including anchovies and sardines. Those fish are then eaten by seals, sea lions and dolphins.
The exposure damages the brain and heart in mammals. Symptoms include seizures, a craning head motion known as “stargazing” and a comatose state. Experts advise humans not to interact with animals believed to be sick because they might bite or lunge without warning.
Animals can be treated, but moving an ill sea lion to a facility can be difficult because an adult female can weigh up to 250 pounds and an adult male up to 1,000 pounds, requiring several people to move each animal.
Marine animals are protected by state and federal law. If you see an ill or injured animal, call the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute rescue hotline at (805) 567-1505.
The California Wildlife Center is getting between 50 to 100 messages every day about sea lions suffering from domoic acid toxicity ever since an outbreak was reported off the coast of Malibu.
A similar outbreak was recorded last summer affecting more than 70 sea lions, as well as two dolphins and two fur seals along the coast in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
