Intruder dumps chlorine at mammal center, injuring sea lions

Police say they are searching for an intruder who broke into the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach last week and attacked a group of recovering sea lions by dumping chlorine into an enclosure where they were being treated.

The chemical hurt all 17 sea lions in the tank, most of which had already recovered from the injuries they suffered in the wild and were scheduled to be released the next day, according to authorities.

“We were out there the first morning, and their eyes were all swollen and enclosed,” Laguna Beach police Capt. Jason Kravetz said. “They jump into the water and the chlorine burns their eyes.”

Police said this is the first ever known attack on any animals kept at the center, which is a nonprofit that treats sick and injured marine mammals throughout coastal Orange County.

“I don’t know why someone would have the motivation to do this,” Kravetz said. “It’s very sad. And [the sea lions] can’t defend themselves.”

Police have not identified a suspect but believe the attack was intentional.

Kravetz said detectives looked into whether someone at the center could have accidentally added the chemical to the tank, but all the chlorine kept on the site was accounted for, meaning the perpetrator must have brought what he or she dumped.

Authorities said the intruder poured a large amount of chemical into the tank’s filtration system between 8 p.m. April 27 and 6 a.m. the next day.

Since then, eight of the injured sea lions have recovered from corneal ulcerations caused by the attack, according to police.

All of the animals are expected to heal eventually, said Kravetz, who compared the injury to what a humans would suffer if they jumped into a pool with too much chlorine.

Laguna Beach detectives have partnered with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration investigators to pursue federal and state charges that could include animal cruelty and violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Kravetz said.

Each of those crimes can carry a $20,000 fine and a one-year jail or prison term, according to police.

Authorities are asking that anyone who noticed anything suspicious around the center near the time of the attack call Laguna Beach detectives at (949)-497-0377 or the NOAA hotline at 1-800-853-1964.