Inside the fight to save California’s dying sea lions from toxic algae: ‘We’re like 911 operators’

A sea lion, one that successfully recovered from domoic acid poisoning, is pictured at SeaWorld. Photograph: Amanda Ulrich/Guardian

It was just after 8am on Tuesday, a thick morning fog still clinging to the California coastline, and SeaWorld’s animal rescue team had already made their first save of the day: a hefty, sick-looking sea lion that had been waddling dangerously close to a four-lane highway in downtown San Diego.

Now, in a private area of SeaWorld that few of the theme park’s thousands of daily visitors ever get to see, the rescue team was in full “triage” mode. Half a dozen staff members maneuvered the caged sea lion off the bed of a truck, and grabbed IV bags full of fluids and vitamins.