When a member of the public calls the Marine Mammal Center to report a stranded animal, one of 800 volunteers respond, day or night, 365 days a year. The person who reported the stranding then gets to name the animal. Eagle Auto sounded like a funny name for a sea lion, until I found out that she was found at a car dealership, called Eagle Auto in Oakland, CA. The dealership is located six blocks from the 
ocean! Apparently, it was a big news story at the time.
Eagle Auto has been a patient at the MMC for about a month and a half. The reason that Eagle Auto was so far from the ocean was that she was suffering from domoic acid poisoning. Domoic acid is a naturally occurring toxin that is associated with certain algal blooms. The toxin can build up in shellfish and fish. The marine mammals then feed on them and end up with domoic acid poisoning. This can cause short-term memory loss, brain damage, miscarriages, and even death. Domoic acid can also cause these affects in humans.
People speculate that the occurance of domoic acid poisoning in marine mammals is a warning sign of what will happen to people. This is pretty scary since I like to eat sushi. Domoic acid can be associated with red tides, but can also be present in the absence of visual observance of the blooms in the water. I remember vacationing as a kid on Anna Maria Island, Florida, when the red tide would come. I found it an inconvenience not being able to swim. I had no idea the extensive affects that it really caused. It’s funny to look back and realize how much I didn’t know! I couldn’t find a good link to check for red tides in local areas. If anyone knows of one, please write in so we can let everbody know.
Posted by Christy Buckley on Oct 12, 2006
