Team rescues trapped Vancouver Island sea lion
A team in Vancouver launched a two-day operation to attempt a series of rescues of sea lions caught in marine debris near Fanny Bay on Vancouver Island this week. During the mission, the rescuers from the Vancouver Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Centre and Fisheries and Oceans Canada successfully disentangled a tightly wound plastic packing strap from a sea lion's wounded neck.
"This is often what we find on them — it’s the perfect size for them to swim into and difficult for them to dislodge themselves,” says Vancouver Aquarium Head Veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena, who led the group as Canada's only vet with experience immobilizing sea lions with drug-laced darts. Last year, his team successfully disentangled two sea lions in the wild for the first time in Canada.
"Rescue efforts involving sea lions are extremely challenging and can be very dangerous," says Dr. Haulena. Marine mammal anesthesia is risky; it was a 15-year process to develop an effective combination of drugs and protocols to safely dart sea lions for the removal of entangled gear, usually around their necks.
Vancouver Aquarium photos
