Emergency personnel and bystanders joined with Marine Mammal Rescue Centre staff to try to save a stricken steller sea lion found on a beach in north Nanaimo.
The animal was discovered Thursday at about 11 a.m. by a man walking his dog on Invermere Beach, located at the bottom of a steep, high bluff at the end of Invermere Road.
91裸聊视频淗e came upon a sea lion. He actually almost tripped over him because he didn91裸聊视频檛 realize he was there,91裸聊视频� said Emily Johnson, assistant manager of the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, based in Vancouver. 91裸聊视频淗e did the right thing and gave us a call.91裸聊视频�
Johnson said the man took pictures of the animal and sent them to the centre so staff could identify the species and get some idea of the animal91裸聊视频檚 behaviour and condition. Upon determining the sea lion needed help, the centre applied for permission from the Department of Fisheries and Ocean to put a response team together to collect the animal and caught a ferry for Nanaimo. The team arrived at the site at about 6 p.m.
91裸聊视频淗e was definitely not exhibiting any sort of normal behaviour, so we opted to sedate him and sling him and carry him up to the road,91裸聊视频� Johnson said. 91裸聊视频淚t was quite an undertaking.91裸聊视频�
Access to Invermere Beach is via a set of more than 300 stairs, but the team opted to carry the sea lion 91裸聊视频� which Johnson estimated weighed between 300 and 350 kilograms 91裸聊视频� up a trail that runs alongside the stairs, with some help from people in the community.
91裸聊视频淚t was one of those things where everything sort of came together,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭he community really rallied. Weirdly enough, my husband has a friend [who works for] the City of Nanaimo and there91裸聊视频檚 a friend who91裸聊视频檚 an RCMP officer 91裸聊视频� so we had some muscle to help us get all the way up the road, but 91裸聊视频� we did it. It was a huge undertaking, for sure. It was definitely the most physical rescue I91裸聊视频檝e ever been a part of.91裸聊视频�
Johnson said the sea lion was actually underweight. In spite of the Herculean efforts to save the animal, it died not long after it was placed in the transport carrier.
91裸聊视频淪adly, not the outcome we were looking for 91裸聊视频� but with every response that we go on our team always learns something,91裸聊视频� she said.
READ ALSO:
READ ALSO:
The sea lion91裸聊视频檚 body was driven to a pathology lab on the Lower Mainland where a necropsy will be conducted to try to determine the cause of death.
Johnson said there have been more frequent incidents of sea lions having been killed with firearms, but a radiograph conducted Thursday night didn91裸聊视频檛 reveal any projectiles or foreign bodies in the carcass.
91裸聊视频淭he strange thing about it is there were no obvious wounds and no injuries that we could see91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淗onestly, I really couldn91裸聊视频檛 even have a guess for you.91裸聊视频�
Johnson said she was impressed with the efforts people in Nanaimo put in to help save the animal.
91裸聊视频淲hat a great little community, though. I could tell everybody was very invested in helping,91裸聊视频� she said.
photos@nanaimobulletin.com
Like us on and follow us on
