A second chance: a documentary that follows the rescue, rehabilitation and release of California's sea lions amidst a new wave of algal bloom poisoning caused by rising ocean temperatures.

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Content A Second Chance:
A documentary that follows the rescue, rehabilitation and release of
California's sea lions amidst a new wave of algal bloom poisoning
caused by rising ocean temperatures.
Aadya Chidanand
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL
FOR COMMUNICATION AND
JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
(SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM)
AUGUST 2023

ii

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………..iii
Abstract………………………………………………………………………………iv
Chapter1: Reflection………………………………………………………………….1
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………..6
Documentary Script………………………………………………………………..…8

iii

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dan Birman, Megan Chao, Susy Garciasalas Barkley and Victor
Figueroa for their editorial and creative guidance towards my project. I could not have completed
this documentary without their suggestions and feedback from start to finish. Thank you to
Kirsten Donald and Kaylee Brown, my main interviewees, for being so generous with their time
and for helping me build this story. Thank you to Alan Mittelstaedt and Allison Agsten, my
committee members, for their continued support and help. Thank you to Eric Lambkins II, Jen
Byers, Jaydelle Herbert and Mya Vinette for believing in me and for all their love and support on
this project. Thank you to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged me from thousands of miles
away. And finally, thank you to my father, for watching over me from the heavens.

iv

Abstract

This thesis is a documentary that follows the rescue, rehabilitation and release of two sea
lions as a result of warming ocean temperatures. The student’s preliminary research involved
finding a direct correlation between rising ocean temperatures and a rise in algal blooms along
California’s coastline. It also shows the consequences of algal blooms on California’s marine
mammals by following the journey of two sea lions.
The findings showed that years with warmer ocean temperatures lead to more animal
rescues by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center - a non-profit organization that works to rescue
and rehabilitate stranded marine animals. The documentary explains the science behind how and
why algal blooms can cause Domoic Acid Poisoning and change the ecosystem in California’s
oceans.

1

Chapter I - Reflection
“A Second Chance” is a documentary about the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of
California sea lions who wash up on the shores of beaches in ill health. But it is also so much
more than that. To me, it was a journey of survival, reflection and inspiration. When I first started
mapping out my idea for this documentary, I deluded myself into thinking that I had any
semblance of control over how it would turn out. I thought I knew what the problems were and I
figured the solution would show itself. But these last few months have proven that the problem
expands and evolves. And the solutions? Sometimes they are as murky as the ocean on a stormy
day, but as documentarians, we catch on to the little rays of sunlight that peak through the
darkness, and hope that in time, our art shines through.
I chose to do a documentary because it was something I was new at. I had only worked in
writing and photojournalism, so long form video was a new challenge I wanted to take up. I felt
like an article or a podcast on this topic would not have done justice to the story. The power of
visual storytelling amazed me. It was both the audio and visual elements that could hold the
audience’s attention and remain in their minds. As a journalism student also interested in visual
storytelling, documentary made the most sense. It doesn’t have the exaggeration or dramatization
of film, and it holds the values of journalism - truth, objectivity and accuracy.
Using my professor’s guidance, I approached this documentary, first, through research.
Under the large umbrella of climate change and environmental justice, what was new, relevant
and had a niche? I started reaching out to organizations that center their work on coastal
ecosystems, to see if anything unusual or unprecedented was happening. That’s when I found out
about Domoic Acid Poisoning (DAP) and reached out to two centers that work with animals
suffering from DAP - The Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) and Marine Mammal Care

2

Center (MMCC).
The Pacific Ocean is considered a cold ocean
1
. Kelp, sea bass, and marine mammals alike
thrive in these conditions
2
. But as our planet warms, so does the ocean’s temperature. This rise in
temperature causes algae to bloom
3
along California’s coastline. Algal blooms are not new. They
occur everywhere around the world, sometimes even as beautiful bioluminescence in waves
4
. The
first algal bloom in California occurred in 1998
5
and then in 2015
6
. 17 years apart.
During my preliminary discussion with one of my main interviewees, Kirsten Donald (a
marine biologist at the Center), she mentioned that they were anticipating the next algal bloom to
happen in 2032. But it is happening now (2022-23.
7
) 10 years earlier than anticipated. The ocean
was warming up faster than predicted
8
in 2015.

1
“Why is the Pacific So Cold?” WX Research, 2023.
2
“Kelp forest habitat on the West Coast.” NOAA Fisheries, November 2021.
3
“Climate Change and Harmful Algal Blooms.” Environmental Protection Agency, December 2022.
4
“Understanding the natural wonder of bioluminescence.” Environment, April 2018.
5
“Domoic acid production near California coastal upwelling zones.” ASLO, December 2000.
6
“West Coast Harmful Algal Bloom.” NOAA, May 2016.
7
“Toxic Algal Bloom Spreads Along California Coast.” NOAA Fisheries, August 2022.
8
“Oceans Warming Faster than Predicted.” New York Times, January 2019.

3

Figure 1.0

This graph shows how the average surface temperature of the world’s oceans has changed
since 1940. Surface water, especially, warmed significantly over the past two decades
9
.
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is a non-profit organization in Laguna Beach,
California. They rescue, rehabilitate, and release ocean mammals like seals and sea lions. They
also conduct marine mammal research and education programs for children. Their research
showed that a particular algae, Pseudo-nitzschia, produced domoic acid
10
. Algae is consumed by
zooplankton. Zooplankton
11
by fish. And fish by marine mammals like sea lions. While the algae
doesn’t affect crustaceans
12
, the concentration of domoic acid in fish that’s consumed by sea lions
causes DAP
13
. The toxin affects their brain chemistry and causes neurological problems
14
. And so
years with warmer ocean surface temperatures, 1998
15
, 2015
16
and 2022, saw unusual mortality
events
17
.
The center rescues and treats about 200 marine mammals each year
18
. Malnutrition,
injuries, entanglement and pollution are common causes every year. My second interviewee, Dr.
Kaylee Brown, a veterinarian at PMMC, described what happens after a typical algal bloom.
During warmer years, the center’s rescue numbers shot up to 600. Seals and sea lions were

9
“Climate Change Indicators: Sea Surface Temperatures.” Environmental Protection Agency, August 2022.
10
“Investigating Domoic Acid Toxicosis.” NCCOS, August 2022.
11
“List of Fish that Feed on Zooplankton.”
12
“Domoic Acid.” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
13
“Changing epidemiology of domoic acid toxicosis in California sea lions.” NCBI, November 2007.
14
“Sea lions exposed to algal toxin show impaired spatial memory.” UC Santa Cruz, December 2015.
15
“Domoic Acid toxicosis.” Marine Mammal Center.
16
“Unprecedented Toxic Algal Bloom Linked to Unusual Ocean Conditions.” Marine Mammal Center, September
2016.
17
“West Coast Harmful Algal Bloom.” NOAA, May 2016.
18
“10,000 Rescues.” Orange County Register, May 2021.

4

coming in, suffering from seizures, dehydration, and disorientation. If the patient hadn’t ingested
too much of the toxin, the center could flush it out of their body with water. But if the
concentration of domoic acid was too high, the patient would have to be euthanized. Kirsten
mentions that of the rescues, at least 1 of 20 patients suffering from DAP would have to be
euthanized.
My plan for this documentary was to present three stages - the rescue, rehabilitation and
release of one such patient suffering from DAP. But timing for my production did not coincide
with this preconceived schedule. When I started in September of 2022, it still wasn’t the rescue
season. Usually, the rescue season doesn’t start until early spring, because sea lions are
migratory. They breed off-shore in the winter and then migrate towards the coast with the new-
born pups. While I was happy that there weren’t many animals in need of help, it also delayed the
filming of a portion of the story I thought was important to tell. The first animals started coming
in in January.
It wasn’t until February of 2023 that I filmed a rescue. I was at the center, documenting
the lab process when they got a call from a representative of the U.S. Coast Guard. There was a
young pup that had been lying on the beach for a couple days and the Coast Guard representative
put the sea lion in a kennel and called the Center. This is not how usual rescues are done but I had
my chance to film the team in action. When the patient had been transferred, they allowed me to
name her. For a minute, I hesitated, thinking it would take me too close to the story. But I saw her
peeking at me through the bars of her kennel and I thought about how important it was for me to
tell her story. So I named her Juniper and the documentary starts with her rescue.
The prologue talks about the ocean and how humans are a part of the ocean ecosystem.
Kirsten’s voice explains how the ocean drives our water cycle and what drives her passion.

5

The story then begins with the rescue of Juniper. This rescue sequence follows the Pacific
Marine Mammal Center’s team as they bring Juniper into the Center. It then shows the first steps
the veterinary team takes to make the patient feel comfortable. The intake exam is where my
main interviewees Kirtsen Donald (a marine biologist) and Kaylee Brown (a veterinarian)) talk
about the importance of hydration in these animals and how they provide it to them.
The documentary then moves to explaining an urgent environmental matter - algal blooms
and domoic acid. And then, the story follows the rehabilitation process of a patient named
Silverado suffering from DAP. Silverado spent a month in rehabilitation, recovering from the
toxin. Kirsten Donald and Kaylee Brown explain the exit exam procedures and what qualifies a
patient for release.
The final sequence of the film is the release of Silverado with six other sea lions. The
story started with Juniper but her story remains, for now, incomplete while she recovers at the
Center. Although the story doesn’t show Silverado’s rescue, his release gives the hope that
someday, Juniper will return home as well. From Juniper’s unprecedented rescue to Silverado’s
timely release, it didn’t turn out perfect. It didn’t even turn out how I originally envisioned it. I
had originally planned to film the rescue, rehabilitation and release of just one sea lion. But
changing schedules and time constraints allowed me to follow the rescue of Juniper and the
rehabilitation and release of Silverado.
My decision to use documentary as a form of research has helped broaden my perspective
on two separate platforms - journalism and film making. My biggest challenge throughout this
process was building the audio and visuals the way I had envisioned it. The takeaway from this
project is that I should never assume the audience knows what I’m talking about. Context,
statistics, and story arc building are extremely important. Still, I am happy that I got a chance to
tell this story and I’m grateful to my professor, Dan Birman, for guiding me through the process.

6

Bibliography

“Ocean Warming Is Accelerating Faster Than Thought.” New York Times, January 10, 2019.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/climate/ocean-warming-climate-change.html

“Red Tides and Domoic Acid Toxicity.” Marine Mammal Center, Research library.
https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/science-conservation/research-library/domoic-acid-
toxicosis

“Another Sea Lion Crisis Underway as Toxic Algal Bloom Grows.” Marine Mammal Center,
September 3, 2015.
https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/news/another-sea-lion-crisis-underway-as-toxic-algal-
bloom-grows

“Unprecedented Toxic Algal Bloom Linked to Unusual Ocean Conditions.” Marine Mammal
Center, 2016.
https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/publications/unprecedented-toxic-algal-bloom-linked-to-
unusual-ocean-conditions

“West Coast Harmful Algal Bloom.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, May 2,
2016.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sep15/westcoast-habs.html

“Fifty Years, 10,000 Rescues.” Orange County Register, May 17, 2021.
https://www.ocregister.com/2021/05/17/five-decades-rescuing-animals-paved-way-for-pacific-
marine-mammal-center-to-become-a-research-hub/

“Why Is The Pacific So Cold?” WX Research, January 25, 2023.
https://wxresearch.org/why-is-the-pacific-ocean-so-cold-all-you-need-to-
know/#:~:text=The%20average%20temperature%20in%20the,What%20is%20this%3F&text=If
%20you%20were%20standing%20on,the%20ocean%2C%20it%27s%20downright%20frigid.

“Kelp Forest Habitat on the West Coast.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Fisheries, November 02, 2021.
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/habitat-conservation/kelp-forest-habitat-west-
coast#:~:text=Because%20kelps%20are%20primary%20producers,of%20life%20that%20inhibit
s%20them.

“Climate Change and Harmful Algal Blooms.” Environmental Protection Agency, December
15, 2022.
https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/climate-change-and-harmful-algal-blooms

“Understanding the Natural Wonders of Bioluminescence.” Environment, April 2018.
https://www.environment.sa.gov.au/goodliving/posts/2018/04/sea-sparkle

“Domoic acid production near California coastal upwelling zones, June 1998.” Association for
the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, December 08, 2000.

7

https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.4319/lo.2000.45.8.1818

“West Coast Harmful Algal Bloom.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, May
02, 2016.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sep15/westcoast-habs.html

“Toxic Algal Bloom Spreads Along California Coast.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Fisheries, August 29, 2022.
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/toxic-algal-bloom-spreads-along-california-coast-
poisoning-sea-lions

“Investigating Domoic Acid Biosynthesis and Toxic Bloom Formation Through Pseudo-
nitzschia–Marine Bacteria Interactions.” National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, August 01,
2022.
https://coastalscience.noaa.gov/project/investigating-domoic-acid-biosynthesis-toxic-bloom-
formation-pseudo-nitzschia-marine-bacteria-interactions/

“List of Fish that Feed on Aquatic Live Food like Zooplankton.” Aquatic Life Food, October 07,
2003.
https://www.aquaticlivefood.com.au/list-of-fish-that-feed-on-aquatic-live-
foods/#:~:text=Put%20simply%2C%20all%20marine%20and,live%20foods%20such%20as%20
zooplankton.

“Domoic Acid.” Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/basics/domoic-acid

“Changing epidemiology of domoic acid toxicosis in California sea lions.” National Center for
Biotechnology Information, November 15, 2007.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2593718/

“Sea lions exposed to algal toxin show impaired spatial memory.” UC Santa Cruz, December 14,
2015.
https://news.ucsc.edu/2015/12/sealions-domoic-acid.html

8

Documentary Script

NAT SOUND

opening shot of the ocean at Laguna
Beach

NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald
Marine Biologist and Head of
Education at Pacific Marine Mammal
Center.
02:29:25

sequence of shots taken at laguna
beach.

The ocean provides so many things for
us. It drives the water cycle on the
planet. And so every one of us is
connected to the ocean, whether we
know it or not. We are part of a bigger
ecosystem. And sometimes people kind
of feel like we're outside of the
ecosystem and that's not true. And we
really need to start realizing that the
ecosystem is what keeps us healthy.
Kirsten Donald

On camera

Clip 0016
02:54:19

And so that's what really drives my
passion behind what I do because it's
raising awareness and people about
those issues so that hopefully we can
all help with solutions.

NAT SOUND

TEXT CARD

Rising ocean temperatures are causing
algal blooms along California’s
coastlines. This is poisoning and
starving sea lions.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/art
icle/algal-blooms-have-boomed-
worldwide/#:~:text=CLIMATEWIRE
%20%7C%20Algal%20blooms%20are
%20growing,new%20study%20publish
ed%20in%20Nature.

9

NAT SOUND

Rescue team members meet the coast
guard.

Wow! How’s it going man? Thank
you.

VO Kirsten Donald

Team starts to arrange for the patient
shift.
Rescue, rehabilitation and release is a
core of what we do. And what it starts
from is, usually a call from the general
public. Sometimes it’s lifeguards or the
harbor patrol.
SOT Kirsten Donald

The rescue depends on the animal’s
state. Some animals we come upon and
they’re just lying there because they’re
so emaciated and tired, we can just
pick them up and pop them in the
kennel. Other animals have a little bit
more spunk to them and that’s when
we might have to use nets.
NAT SOUND

The team is talking and figuring out
how to get the patient out of the kennel.

NAT SOUND

Patient secured
Thank you so much, I really appreciate
it.
NAT SOUND

Rescue team member talks directly to
the camera after putting the animal in
the car.
So we put him in with Jenny in the
back, so she can keep an eye on him.
And we’re gonna get on the road. Get
him home. Get him to the center.
NAT SOUND (of next sequence)
TEXT CARD

While the Pacific Marine Mammal
Center trains lifeguards to put stranded
mammals in kennels, this was not a
typical rescue.

https://www.pacificmmc.org/rescue

NAT SOUND

10

Establishing shot of the center
NAT SOUND
VO Kirsten Donald

Team member weighing the patient
At that point, when we drive in, we
weigh them and then they go through
an intake exam.
NAT SOUND

shot of patient in kennel and then being
taken inside
Hey! 38.4.
NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

The Intake Exam
The rescued sea lion is identified as
female and is named Juniper.

NAT SOUND

Establishing the nursery
Rehab team prepares for Juniper’s
exam.

NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

So for all animals that come to PMMC
for rehabilitation, they go through a full
admit workup.
Kaylee Brown
(Name bar)
We do blood work for all of our
patients, when they come in the door.
And then we start any medications or
treatments that they may need, right
away.
NAT SOUND

Shot of Juniper in her pen.

NAT SOUND

In the lab, xray shown. Kaylee is
explaining Juniper’s diagnosis and the
following procedures to her team.
So all of this soft tissue, that’s normal.
But this is abnormal. So there could be
a fracture. A giant abscess. We might
want to give her a minute to calm
down. And then try to take more x-
rays.
NAT SOUND

Kaylee and her team are preparing all
the necessary instruments.

11

NAT SOUND

Kaylee lays out the plan for the team.
Reaction shots of team members while
she speaks.
Okay so plan will be ultrasound it,
flush it, give it an injection,
NAT SOUND

Camera cuts to Kaylee
If she’s doing really well then we can
do some more tests. If she’s not then
we can wait but we definitely have to
give her the injection.
NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

Shot of Juniper in the pen, looking up
at Kaylee and team member.
We tailor their treatment plans based
on what we find.
Kaylee Brown

So, not necessarily every animal goes
on medications, but if it is indicated
then we will treat them.
NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown
Team has secured Juniper
CU shots of different tools, equipments

We kind of,just use our knowledge, our
medicine… or our medical knowledge
to make those determinations.
NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

Wide shot of the entire team working
with the patient.
cut to reaction shots.
Do they have wounds, do they have
pneumonia? Do they have signs of
gastrointestinal disease?

And that kind of helps determine what
kind of medications they need.
NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald
CU shot of preparation of the fluid bag.

Since these animals, most of them that
come in are emaciated… They haven’t
eaten food in a while.
NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald
These animals all get their water from
the food that they eat. They don’t drink
the salt water that they’re in.

12

CU of Juniper
Kirsten Donald

So giving them those fluids is very
vital to their system.
NAT SOUND

Team administering the fluids orally.
So that fluid bag was actually…
Kaylee Brown

On camera
…lactated ringers. It's a balanced fluid
that we will give either subcutaneously
or intravenously.
NAT SOUND

Team administering fluid
intravenously.

NAT SOUND

shot of another team member taking
notes.

NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

team members holding the fluid bag up
and CU of Juniper
That should help them rehydrate the
animals. It helps them feel a little bit
better. They typically will come in very
malnourished and dehydrated so
replenishing their hydration is one of
the things that we aim to do during
their stay here.
NAT SOUND

TEXT CARD

Malnutrition is one of the many issues
that California sea lions are facing.
Recently, a more life threatening
disease has arisen due to rising ocean
temperatures.
https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/
science-conservation/research-
library/domoic-acid-toxicosis

NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald

Underwater footage.
Other reasons that we receive animals
is domoic acid poisoning.
The ocean is starting to absorb too
much CO2. And when it does that, it
doesn’t allow the smaller creatures to

13

lay down all of the components they
need for their shells.
NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald

Changing underwater footage.
They’re at the bottom of the ecosystem.
So that’s a real problem because all of
the creatures above it, rely on those
creatures.
NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald

Cut to footage of creatures eating
underwater.
The problem with those kinds of algal
blooms, with certain types of algae like
Pseudo-nitzschia , is that it produces a
toxin.
When the zooplankton eat the algae
and the fish eat the zooplankton, the
fish is getting a concentrated amount of
that toxin.
NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald

Cut to sea lions on the beach.
Zooming from CU to wide shot
And then when the sea lion goes to eat
multiple fish, it’s getting an even
bigger dose.

And so what we see then is animals
that are coming in with neurological
problems. If they’ve had a heavy dose
of that, they usually have to be
euthanized, because it has already
damaged their brain.
Kirsten Donald

And that brain damage is irreversible.
However there are cases that come in
that they’ve only been lightly exposed.
And in those cases we can actually
flush their systems with water and kind
of hope for the best.

NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

Rehabilitation.

NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

Patient name: Silverado (W5158)
Gender: Male
diagnosis: Domoic acid poisoning.

14

NAT SOUND

CU of Silverado’s tag
zoom out to wide shot

NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald

Shots of all patients playing in the
water.
As they go through rehabilitation for
the next couple of days, we give them
kiddie pools inside.
And that’s where sea lions start eating
food.
We’ll put them in the little kiddie
pools, we’ll drop the fish in the pools,
we’ll also put a hose in there to create a
little bit of a current as well.

Kirsten Donald

And this gets them started on the road
of thinking ‘My fish is in water.’
NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald

CU of Silverado and his buddy.
cut to a wide shot of all animals
playing and bonding together.
We’ll introduce them to acquiring food
with a buddy. This is really important
to sea lions simply because sea lions
quite often feed in groups. They’re
very social, however, they don’t help
each other. And so it’s kind of like kids
hitting a piñata open: as soon as they
open it up, it’s every man for himself
as opposed to making it fair.
NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald

CU of Silverado
And from there if they have met the
requirements… if they’ve gained
enough weight for the age class and the
species, and if they’ve also
demonstrated that they can forage
effectively…
Kirsten Donald

and once they get a clean bill of health
through their exit exam, they’re ready
for release.
NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

The Exit Exam

NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

15

Patient: Silverado (W5158)
Two weeks after rehabilitation
NAT SOUND

CU of Silverado breathing

NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

CU of blood being drawn
I think that going into this field, and
into wildlife medicine in particular,
you do have to have that detachment a
little bit.
NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown
CU of withdrawn blood in syringe.
But you have to maintain a healthy
balance of…
NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

Kaylee’s hands caressing Silverado
…caring and always striving for the
best medicine you can provide, but not
getting so emotionally attached.
NAT SOUND

CU of Kaylee talking about Silverado’s
current condition.
Pan down and zoom out to a wide shot.
I really care for all of our patients.
You know, I care for them when
they’re here and I’m excited to see
them when they’re released.
Kaylee Brown

Yeah I try not to get too attached.
NAT SOUND

CU of fin being prepped for blood
withdrawal.
cut to WS of the same.

NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

CU of Silverado in anesthesia cup
covering his face.
The release exam is somewhat similar
to the wellness exam.

For the sea lions it’s done under
general anesthesia.
NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

CU of blood draw
We do full physical examinations,
bloodwork, we do radiographs.

16

pan up to Kaylee and team member’s
face
Kaylee Brown

We’ll get their string length, and then
we’ll get exit swabs or release swabs.
We do nasal swabs, oral swabs and
rectal swabs.
NAT SOUND

Kaylee taking oral swab

NAT SOUND

String length measurement

NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

Doing nasal swab
So that way we have paired swabs -
when they came in and when they left.
NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

The administered dose of anesthesia is
generally low, so all tests must be done
quickly before Silverado wakes up.

NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

CU of Silverado waking up
cut to wide shot
It can be…
Kaylee Brown

…a little bit scary to release them back
to the ocean, because we know that
there are scary things in the ocean…
NAT SOUND

VO Kaylee Brown

CU of Silverado again
slow zoom out as he wakes up.
… So that can be a little bit hard.

In general, it’s nice to know that we’ve
helped them and that we can release
them back to their home.

17

Kaylee Brown

Yeah I mean that’s what we’re here to
do. We’re here to help wild animals
and then release them back as wild
animals.
NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

The Release
Location: Laguna Beach

NAT SOUND

VO Kirsten Donald

Wide shot of beach
There are a lot of things I love about
my job but probably the top thing is…
Kirsten Donald

Being a part of this wonderful
organization that is able to bring these
animals in that are on death store, fix
them up so that they’re healthy again,
to give them that second chance of
life… and being able to watch them go
back to the ocean… is just so
heartwarming and you feel like you’ve
done something to benefit the planet
and benefit somebody else.
NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center
typically rescues around 200 marine
mammals every year.

https://www.ocregister.com/2021/05/17/five-
decades-rescuing-animals-paved-way-for-pacific-
marine-mammal-center-to-become-a-research-
hub/

NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

But during years of warmer ocean
temperatures, the number goes up to
600.

NAT SOUND
TEXT CARD

18

Silverado and 6 others were released
after a month of rehabilitation. Juniper
is still in rehab and is doing well.

Cue music
MUSIC

DRONE SHOT

Sea lions go back to the sea.

Dip to black

Music Fades
Title appears: A Second Chance.

Asset Metadata

Creator Chidanand, Aadya (author)

Core Title A second chance: a documentary that follows the rescue, rehabilitation and release of California's sea lions amidst a new wave of algal bloom poisoning caused by rising ocean temperatures.

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism

Degree Conferral Date 2023-08

Publication Date 06/22/2023

Defense Date 06/22/2023

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag algal blooms,animal rescue,California sea lion,climate change,documentary,domoic acid poisoning,Environment,human impact,journalism,OAI-PMH Harvest,oceans,Rehabilitation,Sea lions,underwater filming

Format theses (aat)

Language English

Advisor Birman, Daniel (committee chair), Agsten, Allison (committee member), Mittelstaedt, Alan (committee member)

Creator Email aadya.chidanand@gmail.com,achidana@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC113189882

Unique identifier UC113189882

Identifier etd-ChidanandA-11985.pdf (filename)

Legacy Identifier etd-ChidanandA-11985

Document Type Thesis

Format theses (aat)

Rights Chidanand, Aadya

Internet Media Type application/pdf

Type texts

Source 20230627-usctheses-batch-1058 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email uscdl@usc.edu

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This thesis is a documentary that follows the rescue, rehabilitation and release of two sea lions as a result of warming ocean temperatures. The student’s preliminary research involved finding a direct correlation between rising ocean temperatures and a rise in algal blooms along California’s coastline. It also shows the consequences of algal blooms on California’s marine mammals by following the journey of two sea lions. The findings showed that years with warmer ocean temperatures lead to more animal rescues by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center - a non-profit organization that works to rescue and rehabilitate stranded marine animals. The documentary explains the science behind how and why algal blooms can cause Domoic Acid Poisoning and change the ecosystem in California’s oceans.