Sea lion scarecrow declared a success

After rebuffing animals on land and in the air, a motion-sensing sprinkler has been determined a success on water-dwelling mammals as well.

Newport Beach harbor officials have been testing an adapted version of the ScareCrow, a sprinkler made by a Canadian company that has been used to keep birds away from koi ponds and animals out of gardens. Apparently it works on sea lions too.

Contech, the company that makes the ScareCrow as well as pet training products, has sold about half a million of the sprinkler devices. They have been used to scare off a variety of animals ? rabbits, monkeys, moose, even the impenetrable armadillo.

“I think the ScareCrow’s so effective because it’s startling. It suddenly sprays water,” Contech President Erik Djukastein said.

He flew in from Victoria to spend Thursday and Friday in Newport Harbor observing the sea lion situation.

There may be fewer sea lions hanging around Newport this year, but they’re venturing farther into the harbor, said harbor resources supervisor Chris Miller.

The City Council passed new rules in February to prevent dumping fish and bait overboard or otherwise feeding sea lions, but it’s hard to stop everyone.

“The tourists think sea lions are cute and cuddly,” Miller said.

But when they’re not mugging for cameras, sea lions are making noise or jumping on boats, leaving messes and damage behind. Last year, they even sank a boat.

In mid-May, Miller deployed the modified ScareCrow, which was the sprinkler attached to a large wooden cable spool, with a solar panel and rechargeable battery to power it and a hose that sucks water from the bay. It worked for about three weeks, then the nine-volt battery that served the motion sensor died.

Soon, a large bull sea lion was boss of the boat.

“We think the sea lion realized that [the sensor didn’t work], got up and realized it was nothing to be afraid of,” Miller said. “That was just one bull. We hope that he hasn’t told his friends.”

Although the city’s test unit conked out, the device itself seems to be a success overall. It works because sea lions need to get out of the water periodically to warm up, and when they’re dry, they don’t like getting sprayed.

While Djukastein was in town, he developed a more portable version of the ScareCrow that’s about the size of a large tackle box. It can be carried onto a boat and moved easily. He changed the angle of the sprinkler a little to better accommodate boats.

Djukastein said he’s developing the components for a sprinkler kit that could be modified to deal with different animal problems ? the niche market for sea lions is probably small, so versatility is important.

Chuck South of South Mooring Co. may pitch the idea to his clients.

“We have a clientele that can afford a solution that works,” he said.

“I’d rather service their moorings than pick up their sunk boats.”dpt.10-sealions-1-C.1PhotoInfoIB1RRGK320060610j0m8udncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)Erik Djukastein adjusts a motion-activated sprinkler, called ScareCrow, that may soon be employed throughout the harbor to chase sea lions off boats.