Rescue centers are overwhelmed as disoriented animals wash ashore, victims of a fast-growing toxin fueled by warming waters and pollution.

Toxic algae blooms along the California coast have been a problem off and on for the past four years, but what’s been happening in recent months is unprecedented. This is now one of the largest harmful algae blooms ever recorded in this region and has led to thousands of marine animals and birds becoming sick or dying in recent months.

This includes at least two whale species, dolphins, birds and the biggest numbers have been from sea lions.

“It’s horrific,” Glenn Gray, CEO of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC), told weather.com. “The number of dead dolphins we’ve gotten this year is just off the charts. We’re all dealing with numbers within a two-month period of time that would normally represent the number of responses we would make in a year. It’s been the worst that’s on record in terms of how it’s affecting the animals and the different species of animals.”

The toxin is called domoic acid poisoning, which is a neurotoxin produced by an algae called Pseudo-nitzschia. It attacks the nervous system of marine life, either killing them or making them appear disoriented, according to scientists at the PMMC.

“It’s like having a seizure,” explained Gray. “I compare it to a pet having a seizure. It’s very similar and heart-wrenching because the sea lions are kind and gentle. They’re playing with each other and then the next moment, they’re seizing.”

Gray explains that if these sea lions seize for more than 30 seconds, there’s a good chance they will suffer irreversible damage to their brain. He says they can become unbalanced and stay very unpredictable and potentially dangerous to others.

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