One of San Francisco's most popular sightseeing attractions are the sea lions at Pier 39 which can be seen throughout the year with a large group congregating around the Pier beginning in fall. A San Francisco tourist is guaranteed to see several hundred animals sunbathing in a normal year, but this year the group of animals calling Pier 39 their winter home has increased to around 1,500. Tourists from around the world have shown up to see the sea lions and are very surprised at their population this year. Pier 39 added six more floating docks to create extra space for the huge animals and together with scientists are pondering the explosion in population this year.
Scientists from the Marine Mammal Center, a non-profit research and rescue facility, are also surprised about the large number of sea lions seen at Pier 39. There is much speculation as to the reasons so many animals have made a winter home in the inner harbour of the San Francisco Bay. Some scientists believe that the animals were chasing a large school of fish and others consider an unknown environmental factor to be the cause of the appearance of so many animals this year. Whatever the reason, the increased numbers have begun to draw a lot of attention from tourists which is great for the local shops and restaurants located around the Pier 39.
