00:00These pups are among an estimated 10,000 Australian sea lions left in the wild.
00:10Hunting ended over a century ago, but their numbers continue to decline.
00:18Commercial fishing, parasites and climate change have all had a devastating effect.
00:23They're beautiful and cute and gorgeous and they play around and they look like they're having a lovely time.
00:29But they have an uphill battle to actually become a juvenile.
00:34At Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island, sea lions are a major tourism drawcard.
00:40We've got a lot of high retention of staff here, which is because the sea lions kind of get under your skin.
00:44The sea lion colony here at Seal Bay has many threats.
00:47But what it also has is a dedicated team of researchers who are doing everything they can to save its vulnerable pups.
00:58The researchers climb up and down the cliffs to give the pups a quick health care check.
01:05We're going to wait.
01:07What's got George?
01:0811.2.
01:10They take fur samples to test for contaminants.
01:13And treat the pups against the potentially fatal hookworm.
01:20Alright puppy, you're done.
01:22Hookworm is basically an intestinal nematode.
01:24So it basically gets into the wall of the intestine and it causes a lot of inflammation.
01:29It causes hemorrhage.
01:32Wild weather has destroyed important breeding sites.
01:35There was a lot of displacement between mums and pups and it certainly has driven the mortality for this season.
01:42On the nearby Pages Islands, scientists say nutritional stress caused by the algal bloom contributed to an almost 30% jump in pup mortalities.
01:52It's another boy.
01:53They're also concerned about the looming threat of bird flu, which has devastated marine mammals elsewhere.
01:59Alright sweetie.
02:00Well done.
02:01But there's hope their research could help evaluate vaccines against bird flu.
02:06Their stories started long before us.
02:09Every pup born at Seal Bay is a reminder that there's still wilderness out there.
02:14You know, it's all about the choices that we make now.
02:20So far, the ongoing research is making a positive difference for these beautiful animals.
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