For the second time in two weeks, the Vancouver Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Team has freed a sea lion tangled in debris off of Vancouver Island.
Aquarium chief veterinarian Martin Haulena said the team was once again looking for Kiyo, a sea lion spotted by concerned onlookers with wire wrapped tightly around its neck.
Though the search was unsuccessful, the team did manage to free another sea lion perilously snared around its chest, abdomen and flipper.
“It’s not an exact science by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “It is complicated in shallow water but we got [an] animal, we got the gear and disentangled the animal.”
In a video released by the aquarium, Haulena can be seen lining up his shot in a dart gun that tranquilizes the animal as it sits on a log boom. It jumps off into the water and the team moves in to remove the wire.
“Unfortunately because the animal was in the water, we couldn’t tag the animal and we weren’t able to clean the wound out but the way it looked it would be able to clean itself out,” he added.
Coastal scientists estaimte there are as many as 400 animals entangled in debris such as fishing lines and plastic garbage that can cause discomfort and even death in animals if nothing is done.
“Certainly it can be fatal in many circumstances and certainly it is quite difficult for animals to remove that gear on their own. The gear is designed to last a long time. It’s tough materials that don’t degrade too well,” said Haulena
The program is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup as teams head to waters such as Fanny Bay and Barkley Sound off of Vancouver Island.
Two boats with at least a dozen scientists tag team during the catch and release program where one boat focuses on tranquilizing the animal while the other makes sure it doesn’t swim away or drown.
The team then removes the debris and tries to tag the animal if possible. They then administer a reversing agent, which wakes the animal back up.
Haulena said the majority of the material comes from fishing activities and garbage discarded by people onshore, which is the focus of one of the program’s sponsors the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
“Part of the Great Canadian Shoreline’s mission is to educate the public on the negative effects of shoreline litter and debris and then get them to change their permanent behaviours,” said program spokesperson Jill Dwyer, “so disposing of things properly, trying not to use disposable items, trying to use reusable items, are really a huge help in preventing litter from being on the shoreline.”
The shoreline cleanup program takes place throughout the spring along the B.C. coast and the national event happens in the fall.
For more information on how help reduce the number of animals harmed by debris, head to the Great Canadian Shore Cleanup website.
