SeaWorld San Antonio welcomes new sea lions

SeaWorld San Antonio has received three new male California sea lions moved from a near the Washington-Oregon border, according to a Express-News report. The sea lions were causing problems in the area by eating too many salmon, which drew the ire of local fishermen. “They have moved from the smorgasbord buffet to table service,” said Dave Force, a vice president at the theme park. The animals were moved at the request of the federal government, which began trapping and moving problematic endangered sea mammals in April in an attempt to prevent conflicts with the enraged fishermen. Both SeaWorld San Antonio and SeaWorld Orlando have been among the first recipients of the sea lions; a number of zoos and theme parks nationwide have agreed to take in the animals. Because of their past eating habits, the new residents were much larger than the park's other sea lions. “These are big boys,” Force said. “They literally were gorging themselves on salmon.” The creatures are slowly adapting to the new diet at the park; as they become accustomed to their new surroundings they will soon be eating around 40 pounds of fish per day. [via CoasterBuzz]