Heroic Marine Rescue Saves an Entangled Sea Lion in Santa Barbara Waters

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - The Channel Island Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) made a heroic rescue of a subadult sea lion with a monofilament line imbedded in its neck off of a buoy in the Santa Barbara Harbor Wednesday.

The Lil' Toot boat, which tours by there daily, was actively involved in calming the sea lion down because the mammal is familiar with that vessel and crew Captain Milo Wolf.

This effort began two months ago at the docks in the harbor.

At that time the sea lion was in the middle multiple adult sea lions, including large bulls and could not be reached.

After a few weeks, the group disbanded and the entangled sea lion relocated to the buoy.

Ken Hughes is a CIMWI Volunteer on the team and said, "the animal was so used to us trying to approach it  that it would run , but it was used to Milo every day so he was able to allow us to get closer."

CIMWI was able to successfully use a pole syringe to administer sedation.

This partially put the sea lion to sleep.

Dr. Sam Dover is the CIMWI Chief Veterinarian who helped to lift the 200 pound mammal into an inflatable. He said the sea lion was "mildly sedated.  He was was sleeping on the surface. The Toot, he sees it every day so that made it simple and we were about to get medication into him."

The fishing line was digging into the sea lion's neck and getting covered up with muscle because the mammal was feeding. Others have been found with deeper impacts and health failure. "We get them all the time on the beach in various stages. This one was very serious," said Dover.

Then volunteers transferred it to the dock where it was put in a crate.

It is now at the CIMWI center at Gaviota for rehabilitation.

Wolf came in on his day off more than once to help out with the early morning rescue attempts.

"I was so happy I almost cried. We have been trying to catch him for two months. I am really, really glad! I could hardly sleep last night worrying about this operation," said Wolf.

The sea lion could be in good health again and released within a month.

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