OPB News: Sea Lion Deaths Attributed To Bacterial Disease
This article is reprinted courtesy of OPB news, Kristian Fodel-Vensil, Tuesday, November 9, 2010.
Scientists are reporting a sharp increase in the number of dead and sick California sea lions along Oregon’s coast. As Kristian Foden-Vencil reports, necropsies conducted on dozens of animals suggest an increase in the bacterial disease; leptospirosis.
Leptospirosis is a disease found in a variety of animals: from rats to sea lions and dogs. And it can also be transmitted to humans. Jim Rice of the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network, says that’s why he issued a warning. On Sunday alone he says, he received reports of 10 dead animals. Jim Rice: “That’s much higher than any numbers we’ve seen previously. Even with Leptospirosis outbreaks in the past, it just seems we’re getting a sudden increase in the numbers that are showing up right now.”
Rice doesn’t know why there’s a spike in deaths. But he says, Leptospirosis has been around for years, it’s just that in some years there are more casualties than in others. Sick sea lions he says, can live on the beach for several days before passing away — or getting better. The state doesn’t have a program for disposing of their carcasses. But state parks will sometimes bury a dead animal. If not, says Rice, it’s left for nature to take its course. Jim Rice: “Basically you’d have to survey the beaches on a daily basis to find every carcass that’s out there and then hire someone to go ahead and remove it or bury or it on site. Those resources have not been put in place previously and I don’t see that changing overnight.”
And as anyone who’s ever owned a dog can tell you, a dead animal like a sea lion is an attractive lure for Fido. But experts caution that the sea lions can pass on the disease to dogs and other animals through their waste. Jim Rice: “The transmission is through direct contact with the animal’s urine. Or with sand that’s been soiled by the animal. So it’s not something that you get by breathing close to the animal or by just being on the beach necessary. You would have to have direct contact with where the animal is or had recently been.” Rice is advising coastal visitors to avoid sea lions and keep their dogs on a leash.
In humans, the disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics. And dogs can be vaccinated against it. State veterinarian, Doctor Emilio DeBess, says people should be cautious, but not unduly worried about the bacteria. Emilio DeBess: “The organism really does not survive very well anywhere, other than standing water. You know, it’s got to be a fairly wet environment and just a dog licking your face does not constitute an exposure.” The Centers for Disease Control say there are between 50 and 100 human cases of leptospirosis in the U.S. every year. A third of those were traced to contact with infected dogs. Another third are believed to have resulted from contact with infected rats.
Last year, the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network reported 350 sea lion strandings, for a variety of reasons, including disease. This year, the state is on pace to significantly surpass that total.
© 2010 OPB
Two Great TV Shows Coming to OPB in April
OPB HD will be airing two great shows on Wednesday, April 21 at 8pm and 9pm: Through a Dog’s Eyes and Food, Inc. The first show, Through a Dog’s Eyes shares inspiring and hopeful stories that show how dogs can affect people’s lives and how, with a little patience and a lot of love, an “ordinary” dog can show how extraordinary he or she can become.
The second show, Food, Inc., is a sweeping, shocking, informative Oscar-winning documentary that reveals how the agri-business in the U.S. is rife with sick animals, environmental degradation, and tainted and unhealthy food. Obesity and diabetes are only the more obvious health problems resulting from a highly mechanized and centralized system that touts efficiency as the supreme value in food production.
