article_snippet: Rescue centers are struggling to cope with a mystery surge in the numbers of starving sea lion pups which have washed up on Californian shores since January.
article_snippet: More than 1,100 starving and sick pups have been rescued from California's beaches, as well as public bathrooms, behind buildings and along railroad tracks since the beginning of the year.
article_snippet: More than 1,100 sick or starving sea lion pups have washed up on Californian shores the year .
article_snippet: Rescuers usually only expect to see about 250 in the same period, and so volunteers like BrennanSlavik (pictured) have been helping save More than 1,100 sick or starving sea lion pups, like this one on Laguna Beach .
article_snippet: the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, in Laguna Beach, is currently rehabilitating 115 sea lion pups.
article_snippet: Brennan Slavik carries a just-rescued sea lion pup into a holding pen after feeding a holding pen .
article_snippet: Dr Todd Schmitt, center, and veterinarian technician Jen Rego, right, prepare an injured sea lion for eye surgery at SeaWorld's Animal Rescue Center, in San Diego .
article_snippet: The center in one of Southern California's premiere beach communities has rescued more than 213 pups since the beginning of the year and has treated ones that weighed as little as 14 pounds at eight-months-old.
article_snippet: The names of the rescued sea lion pups at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center .
article_snippet: Overwhelmed: the Pacific Marine Mammal Center currently has 115 sea lion pups - far more than usual .
article_snippet: The names of the rescued sea lion pups at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center hope to get The names of the rescued sea lion pups at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center healthy enough to set free, tracking some to monitor The names of the rescued sea lion pups at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center progress .
article_snippet: The goal is to get the rescued sea lion pups at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center strong enough to swim free again - but the volunteers who nurse the rescued sea lion pups at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center back to health may never know if the rescued sea lion pups at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center make it in the wild.
highlights_snippet: More than 1,100 starving or sick sea lion pups rescued  since January .
  