Our Readers Write: La Jolla’s not a good place for sea lions

Letters to the editor:

No way to know for sure why sea lions leave their pups

In a recent article about sea lions at La Jolla Cove/Boomer Beach, there were several untruths (“Advocates try to discourage beach-goers from getting too close to La Jolla sea lions and their pups,” La Jolla Light, Aug. 27).

It was stated that if people touch a sea lion pup, the mother will abandon it.

That is a lie! The lie has even been spread by NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] on some of their signs, but there is no scientific data or report that shows that to be true.

How would you even prove that — observe a mother coming back and ignoring her pup? Or observing that a mother left and didn’t come back, and knowing that the reason was that someone touched her pup?

Mothers leave their pups all the time. Mothers get killed by sharks, orcas, boats, etc., so they don’t always come back, and it’s impossible to find out why. This is life in the wild.

If you want to keep people away from the sea lions, La Jolla is not a good place for them. You’ll never keep people away from them when they’re so easily accessible.

The article points out that there are pockets of sea lions at inaccessible beaches in central California. Great! Those are good places for them.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act, Section 109(h), allows cities to get rid of pinnipeds by any humane means. San Diego needs to do this.

Dan Truitt

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Letters published in the La Jolla Light express views from readers about community matters. Submissions of related photos also are welcome. Letters reflect the writers’ opinions and not necessarily those of the newspaper staff or publisher. Letters are subject to editing for brevity, clarity and accuracy. To share your thoughts in this public forum, email them with your first and last names and city or neighborhood of residence to robert.vardon@lajollalight.com. Unsigned letters cannot be published. ◆