Wildlife officials have set up a temporary resting zone along the Marina del Rey coast for sea lions sickened by a toxic algae bloom.
The area is surrounded by fencing at Charlie Beach, where eight sea lions are currently being treated by volunteers.
Wildlife experts, along with Los Angeles city and county officials unveiled the resting area during a news conference Thursday addressing an alarming spike in cases.
Overall, there’s been more than 1,000 sea lions reported sick or dead because of the toxic algae. Experts say domoic acid from the algae gets into the sea lions through their food and causes several health problems.
The toxic bloom is making sea lions aggressive and the mammals have been attacking beachgoers and surfers who have gotten too close.
“I have personally witnessed what happens when sea lions are in distress, it’s a heart wrenching sight. These normally vibrant creatures have seizures,” Los Angeles Councilwoman Traci Park said.
John Warner, CEO of the Marine Mammal Care Center, described the resting zone as the first of its kind.
“It’s the first time we had a county work with us to do something like this and it’s the first time our partners at NOAA had such a request from any county within the United States for such a thing because the numbers were overwhelming and because Los Angeles is unique in that sea lions do come out on beaches,” Warner said.
Humans who get too close to sickened mammals could end up being sick as well, and as more people start flocking to local beaches as temperatures rise, officials hope to raise awareness of the issue.
They ask anyone who encounters a sick sea lion to avoid it at all costs and report it to 1-800-39-WHALE.
While cockroaches are good for the ecosystem, they can be a nuisance and hard to avoid in some of America’s largest cities.
Pest Gnome, a company that specializes in connecting people to pest exterminators in their area, ranked the most roach-infested cities in the country.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, several highly-populated metros made the list — which was determined using data from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Houston topped the ranking, with 37% of homes showing signs of these critters in the past 12 months, according to the study. H-Town is known for its heat and humidity, and Pest Gnome said roaches thrive in these conditions.
Another Texas city came in at No. 2 on the list: San Antonio. The study found that about 28% of homes in the Alamo City showed signs of roaches in the past 12 months. Tampa, Phoenix, and Las Vegas rounded out the top five.
Here’s the full list:
Cockroaches play an important role in our ecosystem since they are a food source for other creatures, like toads, mice, beetles and spiders, according to Orkin.
But they can also pose a health risk to humans.
“Cockroaches are known to transfer disease pathogens, such as the various bacteria that produce ‘food poisoning’ in humans, by contaminating food, food preparation surfaces, dishes and eating utensils,” the Illinois Department of Public Health stated on its website.
To prevent roaches from roaming in your home, Pest Gnome recommends sealing any points of entry, cleaning up any stray crumbs, fixing leaky pipes and using Raid and roach motels. If all else fails, call an exterminator.