Californians don't normally see fur seals along local beaches, but lately fur seal pups have been stranding themselves in alarming numbers. QUEST sails out with the Marine Mammal Center as they release these stowaways back into the wild.
Once nearly extinct, California condors are making a steady recovery. But a new threat-- lead poisoning from old bullets-- is slowing progress, leaving scientists between wildlife preservation and the politics of hunting.
Sea otters, the fuzzy mascots of California's coast, have fought back for 75 years from near-extinction, but now their population has mysteriously stalled. Pollution from land-- perhaps even a parasite in cat litter-- may be the culprit.
Each year the Marine Mammal Center treats between 500 and 1200 sick and injured animals, but there are always one or two that stand out from the pod. This time it was a Steller Sea Lion named "Astro."
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QUEST is a production of KQED. Major funding is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Foundation, and The Amgen Foundation. Additional support is provided by the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation, Ann S. Bowers - The Robert Noyce Trust, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, and the Vadasz Family Foundation.
