Sea lion impaled on bolt is freed by stranding team
Dec/22/19 08:29 AM
FIRST RESPONDERS LAY GROUNDWORK TO RESCUE SEA LION FROM CERTAIN DEATHLate Tuesday afternoon, Seal Sitters MMSN hotline (206-905-7325) received a call from Global Diving and Salvage employee John Duerr, who reported a California sea lion impaled on a bolt attached to a barrel in Elliott Bay.The barrel supported a floating security fence at Vigor Shipyard, located on the north end of Harbor Island. Seal Sitters Co-Investigator Lynn asked if he could confirm the animal was alive and he said, yes, the animal was lifting its head out of the water to breathe. It was not known how many days the animal had been hooked and unable to free himself. Lynn hung up and called Co-Investigator Robin, who offered to contact Vigor’s security office to get access for responders.
Due to the size of the animal and precarious water-only access, we knew it would require a highly experienced response team with the ability to safely tranquilize the sea lion. Lynn contacted Casey Mclean of SR3 for help while Robin notified WDFW Marine Mammal Investigation Unit’s Dyanna Lambourn. The reporting party was still on-site in his boat and texted photos showing the sea lion’s predicament. Since it was already dusk, the team made plans to respond the following morning if the sea lion was still there.
Over the course of the evening, the groundwork was laid with many calls to Vigor Security, getting permission to access the animal early Wednesday morning. Plans were coordinated for the response and additional marine mammal stranding experts and volunteers were recruited.
RESCUE PROVES CHALLENGING, BUT ENDS WITH HIGH FIVES
The boats took off mid-morning and the team was soon at the Harbor Island site in Elliott Bay (photo above).
The adult male sea lion had hauled out to rest on one of the flotation barrels supporting the fence and was pierced through the genital area by an exposed bolt. When the examiners approached, the animal became agitated. Dr. Cathy King administered a sedative formulated for sea lions and the team backed off while the sedative took effect. The correct dosage for tranquilizing marine mammals is vital to ensure that the animal is calm enough to safely handle, yet still alert enough to raise its head for breathing. A team member stood by with an open metal hoop to stabilize the head above water if necessary.
Then, the responders went about the tricky business of freeing the sea lion - and timing was critical. Every situation with an entangled animal poses unique challenges. The reversal drug needed to be administered at exactly the right time to ensure the animal came out of his drugged state within minutes of release. He was marked with green biodegradable paint for identification purposes. The reversal syringe was jabbed into the hindquarters at the same moment the team managed to hoist the hind flippers and free him from the bolt. The reversal drug revived him in a few minutes. After swimming around, he went back to the fence, forced another huge sea lion off its barrel, and took his place.
The crew returned to Don Armeni boat launch, made notes about the response and confirmed that the animal could have been stuck there an unknown number of days. Thankfully, Global was doing a check of the security fencing, noticed him among the numerous sea lions hauled out on the barrels and called Seal Sitters’ hotline.
Huge kudos to the rescuers, many of whom used their time off work for the opportunity to extricate the sea lion. All were part of NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network and supporting organizations. We are so grateful to the Global Diving employees and the Vigor Shipyard security supervisors and crew for their help. It was truly a team effort to save this beautiful marine mammal from certain starvation and send him back to his watery home for the holidays.
