One of San Francisco’s most famous tourist attractions has suddenly come up missing.  No, Alcatraz is still out there on The Rock, but the famous colony of sea lions that first took up residence on Pier 39 of Fisherman’s Wharf some 2o years ago have disappeared almost overnight.  The colony went from over 1500 to zero, and nobody knows why.  How could an entire colony of massive sea lions disappear?

More mysteriously, why does no one seem to care that they disappeared.  I mean, I can understand why the locals would want the not-so-cute lions gone as they’re pretty large, noisy, and smelly, but why are scientists not concerned?  Isn’t this sort of unusual behavior a warning sign, possibly of another gigantic earthquake or something?  If it was in my neck of the woods, and a few thousand animals suddenly beat a hasty retreat, I’d be a little worried.

Tags: sea lions, disappearing sea lions, San Francisco, California, Pier 39, unusual animal habits, disappearing animals, entire sea lion colony moves, Fisherman’s Wharf

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