When rescuers from multiple organizations learned about a sea lion in the Salish Sea with plastic stuck around her neck, they immediately dropped everything and made her their main priority. The rescue wasn’t going to be easy, and it would take dozens of people across several organizations to help free the sea lion and ensure her safety.
Scientists with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, who were in the area researching orcas, used a drone to pinpoint the location of the sea lion, and once they’d found her, they were able to confirm that she definitely needed help. The plastic strap was digging into her neck, and it was clear she was struggling.
“We are guessing she must have been like that for a good length of time,” Dr. James Sheppard, a scientist in recovery ecology at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, told The Dodo.
Once they’d found her, the sea lion was sedated, and rescuers with the SeaDoc Society, members of The Whale Museum and vets from Vancouver Aquarium were able to go in and carry out the rescue.
“[She was] not fully asleep, so she could still swim and breathe during the procedure,” Dr. Sheppard said. “While in this fully relaxed and calm state, the team could get close enough to hold her alongside a boat and safely remove the packing strap.”
Once the strap was off of her neck, the team gently released the sea lion and followed her for 30 minutes to make sure she was OK and recovering from being sedated. They crossed their fingers that she’d go back to living a normal life, and they’re pretty confident that they succeeded.
“She calmly swam about among the kelp for a while, then hauled herself back out onto the rocks to be with the rest of the sea lions,” Dr. Sheppard said.
Without help from all of the different rescuers, the sea lion may not have survived her ordeal. Instead, she’s back to thriving with her family, all thanks to the people who derailed their projects, schedules and lives to help her.
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