An imaginative Harbor Master at Moss Landing solved a problem without bloodshed. The sea lions there, although fun for us to watch and to bark back at, are destructive to the boats. They damage boats when they climb up on them to sun themselves, and their weight can actually sink a boat.
Too often, a problem like that is dealt with by killing off animals. Instead, this Harbor Master installed nine of those tall balloon-figures with blowers in their bases that cause them to “dance.” The movement scares the sea lions away from the boats but doesn’t harm them or destroy their habitat.
Proof that, with imagination, critters and humans can share what Nature offers us.
