A rescued seal pup named after Olympian Maelle Ricker was released back into the wild Tuesday with help from the gold medallist herself. 

The injured harbour seal was picked up by the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre in December after someone reported seeing the tiny pup being strangled by debris on Vancouver Island.

“The actual material around her neck was fishing net,” said Lindsaye Akhurst, manager of the MMRC. “She was really underweight, so it’d probably been around her neck for we’re guessing a month’s time.”

The net was embedded in the seal’s neck, leaving a deep, painful wound. Akhurst said staff removed it immediately and put the seal on pain control medication and antibiotics, starting a rehabilitation process that lasted almost three months.

They also decided to name the animal after Ricker, the first Canadian woman to win gold on home soil at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The retired snowboarder, who attended the pup’s release, said she learned about her namesake seal from a friend who visited the Aquarium with her daughter.

“It’s a pretty huge honour, actually,” she said. “Immediately I went onto the website and looked around … all the work that the Rescue Centre has done and what the Vancouver Aquarium has done.”

Ricker said she hopes the story of Maelle the seal will help get people more interested in conservation, particularly in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, which is currently taking registrations for volunteers.

According to the Vancouver Aquarium, almost 60,000 people came out last year to help clean up more than 175,000 kilograms of litter.

Those efforts help prevent wild animals from becoming entangled in human trash along B.C.’s coast, which can often be fatal.

Akhurst said the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre treats between 100-150 seals alone every year. More than 200 species are impacted by garbage and debris, according to the Aquarium, but seals and sea lions are especially susceptible because of their curious nature.

To learn more about the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, click here.