Galapagos Sea Lion

The Galapagos sea lion is found on islands in the Galapagos Archipelago and off the coast of Ecuador where a population has been introduced, they have also been found in Costa Rica. The Galapagos sea lion, Zalophus wollebaeki is the scientific name, is fundamentally a coastal animal and is rarely found more than 16 kilometers out in sea. And these sea lions are now on the endangered species list (proquest.com). I think people should be held accountable for hunting and killing an endangered species and we should use any resource possible to save the Galapagos sea lion.
The population fluctuates between 20,000 and 40,000 animals. A census in 1978 submitted a population size of about 40,000, but a recent survey in 2001 found a 50% decline from this earlier estimate (Alava and Salazar 2006). The running differences might exist between counts over this period, but this decline suggested is cause for serious concern (proquest.com).
The Galapagos sea lion are active during the day and hunt in mostly shallow water, where they feed on fish, octopus, and crustaceans. Sea lions are also capable of making extremely deep dives of up to 200 meters and for 20 minutes or longer, then rapidly surfacing with no ill health effects. When the animals are on shore, the Galapagos sea lions rest on the sands of the beaches and rocky areas in colonies of usually groups of thirty or more (life-sea.blogspot.com). They are extremely social animals and pack together on the shore even when there isn’t enough space (proquest.com).
Each colony is ruled by one “bull” that aggressively defends his territory from other invading males. This territorial activity occurs throughout the year and males hold their territories for only 27 days or so before being displaced by another male. Within this territory the bull has dominance over a group of between 5 and 25 “cows”. The breeding season is not dependent on migration patterns, as seen in other sea lion species, since the Galapagos sea lion remains around the Galapagos Archipelago all year. The breeding season is thought to vary from year to year in its onset and duration, though it usually lasts 16 to 40 weeks between June and December. Births therefore also take place throughout the year, with females coming on shore to give birth to a single “pup”. Within two to three weeks of giving birth females go into estrous again and actively solicit a male. Pregnancy lasts around 11 months, though it probably includes a three month period in which implantation of the fertilized egg is delayed while the female nurses their young (galapagos.org).
Like other sea lions this species relies on cooperation within the group. Most of the time a single adult female will watch over a group of young pups while other mothers are hunting or fishing. They are careful to keep the young pups out of deep water where they have been known to get eaten by sharks. The bull will also watch out for his "family" by warning them of the presence of a nearby shark, and even occasionally chasing away the intruder (life-sea.blogspot.com).
The Galapagos sea lion faces a wide variety threats. In the 19th century, sea lions worldwide were hunted for their meat, skin and even oil. The hunting of some sea lions, including the Galapagos species, has now been banned and populations have somewhat recovered (goeatgive.com). But Galapagos sea lions are still vulnerable to humans and their hunting activity as their snooping and social nature means they are more likely to approach areas occupied by humans. This brings them into contact with fishing nets, hooks and human waste, all of which are fatal to these precious sea lions. There are also problems coming from the increase in other animal’s numbers, like the deep-water tuna and billfish fisheries as these sea lions become victims of getting caught (animals.wikia.com).
Researchers have found that the majority of these incidents, 67 percent, involve “baby sea lions” or “pups”, probably due to their more snooping and playful nature. Humans are mainly responsible for the decreased in population of the Galapagos sea lion therefore, making it illegal to hunt, hurt, or killed a sea lions. Sadly, this doesn’t stop people for harming or killing them. Japan is just one of the countries that have established such laws, but it is rarely or never enforce. International laws have been set for the Galapagos sea lion, as well as other endangered animals (marinemammalcenter.org).
Conservation groups around the world are trying very hard to educate the public about these mammals, and other alike. There have also been laws made to protect their natural environment too. Here in the United States, California limits where boats and other water crafts can go so that sea lions are less likely to get struck by them (marinemammalcenter.org).
These marine mammals are also negatively affected by the impact of El Niño. During El Niño, 1997 and 1998, Galapagos sea lion populations of the main colonies declined by 48 percent. Many sea lions migrated and, amongst those that stayed in the Galapagos Archipelago, there was high mortality due to starvation. A viral disease, known as sea lion pox, is another threat to this marine mammal (elnino.noaa.gov). The illness is spread by mosquitoes and causes paralysis, which in turn prevents the sea lion from feeding and can result in death. Adult sea lions can tend to suffer from more threats than just humans. They can get cancer, epilepsy, and pneumonia, these health problems have been found in captivity and in the wild. Also, many sea lion don’t recover from these illnesses, even with human help (elnino.noaa.gov).
While the young Galapagos sea lion may escape many health issues, they may fall prey to their own kind. The adult males will turn their young into meals if there is a lack of food. Many young “pups” will also drown if they are not strong enough for the rough waters. Killer whales and sharks will also find them as an easy male because for the first six months of their lives their skin is brown in color and doesn’t blend with in the water (galapagos.org). Keeping the water clean is also a big concern for the health and over all protection for the sea lions population. By keeping their waters clean helps prevent deadly diseases and illnesses. It also helps them find a steady food resource. Protecting and persevering the land were the Galapagos sea lions sun bath is also very important for their population (marinemammalcenter.org).
Many conservation groups agree that the cost of saving this endangered species is very expensive and the goal is to protect them in the wild instead of having them in captivity. However, the Galapagos sea lion have shown that they do well in captivity some groups have made efforts to move them to locations where they can be cared for and give birth, and the young sea lions have a higher chance of survival (animals.howstuffworks.com). Losing the Galapagos sea lion, or any animal for that matter, is a lost to the entire world. The world would lose one of the cutest animals ever (Me)!