Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“For 20 years, Rj LaMendola found peace while paddling in the water on his surfboard. But last month off the coast of Southern California, the ocean turned hostile after a sea lion lunged at him, bit him and dragged him off his board. ‘It looked possessed,’ Mr LaMendola wrote in a Facebook post, saying the animal involved in the encounter just north of Los Angeles was ‘feral, almost demonic’. The surfer later learned the animal was suffering from domoic acid toxicosis- a neurological condition caused by a harmful algal bloom. It’s one of dozens of sickened animals that have been spotted across California beaches recently — many suffering from symptoms like seizures or intense lethargy. The toxin often leads to death. This particular algae bloom has appeared four years in a row across California, raising concerns it might be turning into an annual event.” (04/09/25)