Little Bit the Sea Lion (1998-2024)
Obituary
Little Bit, also known as L.B., died after an illness at the El Paso Zoo.
Little Bit, a California sea lion, died at the El Paso Zoo in September 2024; veterinarians suspect he had heart or kidney disease.
Before coming to the zoo in 2013, Little Bit was part of the U.S. Navy’s Marine Mammal Program, which uses bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions to locate and recover objects and detect unauthorized swimmers in harbors and the ocean. Roughly 70 dolphins and 25 sea lions are currently in the program. These animals have been deployed in combat missions, including Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, raising serious concerns about their safety. El Paso Zoo repeatedly played up Little Bit’s military past, calling him a “veteran” and even holding a Veteran’s Day event which included a “salute” from Little Bit to military veterans. But Little Bit did not choose to be part of the military or entertain zoo visitors.
After leaving the Navy’s Marine Mammal Program, Little Bit, like many other sea lions, was used in circus-like shows where he performed unnatural behaviors like “waving” at the audience and “dancing” in exchange for food. Many shows feature sea lions doing “handstands,” a posture that sea lions would not do in the wild. Zoos, including El Paso Zoo, argue that keeping sea lions in captivity teaches visitors about sea lion behavior and conservation. But seeing animals in unnatural settings perform motions and behaviors that they would never do in the wild has little educational value.
Sea lion exhibits are thousands of times smaller than a sea lion’s natural range. Sea lions are very social and gather in groups of dozens or even hundreds. Sea lions often float together in large “rafts” to help regulate their body temperature. In zoos and aquariums, sea lions are held in much smaller groups and deprived of their large social system.
World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves sea lions to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or sanctuaries.
