A sea lion that had a plastic packing band wrapped around its neck can now swim freely thanks to intervention from staff at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society.
The entangled adult male California sea lion was reported to rescuers on Aug. 1, according to the organization, which says the plastic band posed a significant risk to the massive mammal’s health.
The team waited for a safe weather window, which arrived on Aug. 17, and successfully detangled the 280-kilogram sea lion at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve near Metchosin.
That involved VAMMR head veterinarian Dr. Martin Haulena using a dart gun to sedate the animal before approaching it to remove the band.
“It’s a fairly tricky procedure,” VAMMR senior manager Lindsaye Akhurst told CTV News. “You’re dealing with a large animal that you obviously need to get close to. So, we do dart the animal with a sedative. It takes quite a few minutes for that sedative to take effect on the animal. Once it’s in effect, that’s when we can actually go near the animal.”
The veterinary team then cut the band off the sea lion, tested its blood and put identification tags on it, Akhurst continued. The animal was monitored until it woke up from the sedation and was alert and upright.
The sea lion will have a scar from the ordeal, but it should heal well.
“What’s frustrating about these cases is that these injuries are preventable,” Haulena said, in a media release issued Tuesday. “Something as simple as a plastic packing band can cause significant injury to a sea lion. This is why reducing marine debris and reporting entangled animals quickly are so important.”
The organization says about 60 per cent of sea lion entanglements it responds to involve plastic packing bands.
Anyone who encounters a marine mammal in distress is urged to call Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s hotline at 1-800-465-4336 or VAMMR’s hotline at 604-258-7325.
