Two rescued sea lions (lobos marinos) are the newest temporary attraction at the Guadalajara Zoo.
The sea lions were born in 2022 and had been spotted wandering alone on different beaches in Sinaloa.
It was clear they had lost their mothers and were at serious risk of not surviving, Danae Vázquez, the zoo’s communications director, said this week.
Thanks to the intervention of the Culiacán Zoo, the cubs were rescued, and nurtured back to full health. They were recently transferred to the Guadalajara Zoo, while an permanent pool is adapted for them at the Culiacán facility.
Visitors to the Guadalajara Zoo will be to view the sea lions, called Gloria and Lupillo, frolicking in one of their pools that features an underwater viewing zone.
Three sea lion species are endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and one is endangered under the United States’ Endangered Species Act (ESA).
According to the Word Wildlife Fund, they are vulnerable to the effects of climate change on ocean currents, which impacts their fish prey abundance. They are also victims of bycatch in fisheries.