A California sea lion’s life is hanging in a balance as Vancouver Aquarium veterinarians try to locate and remove a hook lodged in its gut.
The 230-kilo adult male was rescued off the coast of Ucluelet Tuesday after concerned locals contacted the RCMP and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
The mammal was spotted with a foot-long fishing flasher dangling from its left cheek.
Aquarium veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena said it’s the facility’s first rescue of a California sea lion, but this particular animal has 50-50 odds of survival.
“He’s in really poor shape,” Haulena said. “(The hook) could be in a really bad spot and perforated something important.”
Haulena believes the sea lion swallowed the fishing flasher because it either had bait or a fish caught on it. The mammal has been having a hard time eating because the hook is embedded quite deeply in its gastrointestinal tract.
Aquarium staff will be performing X-rays and ultra-sounds on the animal to make sure the hook is not in a bad spot and hasn’t caused any massive infection, he added.
“The best case (scenario) is we get the hook out today,” Haulena told a group of reporters Thursday morning.
If everything goes well, he added, the sea lion will stay under the Aquarium’s care for three to four weeks until its fully recovered before it will be released.
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
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