Featured Image Credit: Vancouver Aquarium via Twitter
Last week, the Marine Mammal Rescue Team of Vancouver Aquarium responded to a concerned call from Spanish Banks Beach, having found a California sea lion sick and injured.
In case you’re thinking “What was a California sea lion doing in Canada?” These guys can often be found making their way up to and hanging out around the coastline of British Columbia, when it’s not mating season.
Lindsaye Akhurst, the manager of the rescue center and one of the team who was on the scene told the Vancouver Sun that, “It was quite underweight and really wasn’t responding to some of the actions that were going around him. He’d lift his head a little bit, but really wouldn’t open his eyes too, too much.”
The animal, once weighed, was determined by the rescue team to be very underweight; because while the sea lion was found to be about 150 kilograms in weight (about 330 pounds), he should weigh 240-270 kilograms on average. The team also found that he had an injured left eye, a missing canine tooth, and several wounds.
Thankfully, the Aquarium has reported that he’s now showing signs of improvement, receiving critical care and lots of healthy sunlight from his pad at VanAqua’s hospital.
Rescued California #sealion takes in the rays at our Marine Mammal hospital where he’s receiving critical care and regaining strength. pic.twitter.com/iC58wmS45b
— Vancouver Aquarium (@vanaqua) May 7, 2017
“As soon as we brought him back, he still perked up a little bit and was kind of in and out of his pool, checking out the surroundings,” Akhurst noted. “… but he was still out-of-it for most of the night, from what we could tell. He was able to eat some fish, which is a great sign which helps us out a great bit because we can get medications into him orally.”
This is an awesome job done by the Vancouver Aquarium and their Rescue Center’s staff, and an important reason to support organizations just like them.
The Aquarium reminded their followers via Twitter after the rescue that if you see an injured or marine animal in need of help, to report it at 604-258-SEAL (7325).
For those in the U.S, The Marine Mammal Center is always at the ready, as well, at (415) 289-7325.