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The sea lions return to Punta Loma
April 1, 1997
Web posted at: 11:30 p.m. EST (0430 GMT)PUNTA LOMA, Argentina (CNN) -- As it does every year at this time, the dozing town of Punta Loma has once again become a mecca for naturalists and sightseers.
It is autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, that time of year when sea lions return to this remote stretch of the Argentine coast and turn it into a noisy mammalian resort.
It is the end of the mating season, and between 350 and 400 sea lions have come back from the Valdez Peninsula where they mate and give birth.
"The numbers begin to decrease around December when the majority of the reproductive males and females part for the peninsula where they have their offspring," says ranger Diego Conchilla. "Once the reproductive cycle finishes over there they come back for the winter. That's when the numbers rise."
It is also when Punta Loma, 1,050 miles (1,700 kilometers) from Buenos Aires, rouses from its sleepy ways to greet visitors both human and marine.
Rangers hover nearby like nervous mothers, herding tourists into restricted viewing areas and giving the sea lions uncontested possession of the beaches.
It is there, at the edge of the gray-green Atlantic, that baby seals the size of small dogs take their meals from their mothers, then scuffle off to play in the sand with their peers.
The adults, meanwhile, drowse at the water's edge, warming their ponderous bodies in the weak sunlight, rousing themselves from time to time to bark harshly at little ones that bumble into their dreams.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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