US-FEATURE-ANIMAL-SEA LION AND SEAL RESCUE

Veterinarian Melinda Grove (L) and volunteer Brennan Slavik examine a harbor seal pup at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center after it was rescued in Laguna Beach, California, March 30, 2015. The seal will be examined to determine its exact condition, nursed back to health and eventually released back into the ocean. Record numbers of starving baby sea lions continue to wash ashore in California and the problem has shown no sign of abating. According to the New York Times, experts suspect that unusually warm waters are causing food to become more scarce, causing the mother to leave their pups on their own while the mother hunts for food. Left on their own, the pups can not find food and become sick and emaciated, swimming to shore to prevent themselves from drowning. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)