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A seriously entangled California sea lion is slowly recovering after a complex multi-agency operation to free the animal.
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society (VAMMR) says the adult male sea lion was so entangled he couldn’t eat, and it was one of the most serious the team had encountered.
The sea lion was first spotted on October 20 with a gillnet wrapped tightly around its rostrum (snout), neck and in its mouth.
The sea lion was staying in the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve area of the Salish Sea, which gave the team the opportunity to work with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), BC Parks and Pearson College to save the animal.
By Tuesday, October 22, just 48 hours after the first sighting, a plan was in place to rescue the animal, whose health was rapidly deteriorating due to malnutrition and the severity of the entanglement.
The rescue began when Dr. Martin Haulena, executive director and chief veterinarian at VAMMR, stunned the sea lion with an arrow, causing it to fall into the water.
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The team tracked him using a drone and when the sea lion was completely stunned, the team moved him and rescued him.
“The mesh was so deeply embedded that standard tools could not be used and surgical scissors were required to cut away the entanglement,” the VAMMR said in a press release.
“Over the course of 75 minutes, the team carefully removed the gauze around the animal’s neck, face and mouth, under constant supervision due to the complexity of the case.”
Lindsaye Akhurst, senior manager of VAMMR, described the situation as heartbreaking and difficult to navigate, even for seasoned rescuers.
“The net was so tight and so deeply embedded in his neck, and his mouth was completely taped shut,” she said.
“The sea lion had not been able to eat for weeks or even months. We knew we had to act quickly – this was one of the most heartbreaking, yet rewarding rescues I have been a part of.”
Once the sea lion was free, he was given antibiotics and painkillers and was seen swimming away and later onto a nearby rock.
The team said it was showing signs of recovery.
“Rescues like this highlight the ongoing problem of marine debris,” Haulena said.
“While we are grateful that this sea lion is recovering, our primary focus must be on preventing these complications in the first place. These complex operations require trained marine veterinary professionals, but prevention is the ultimate goal.”
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Amy Judd
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