Rescued sea lion ready for release
CBC News
Posted: Oct 3, 2011 2:28 PM PT
Last Updated: Oct 3, 2011 4:14 PM PT
A California sea lion that was rescued with a fishing hook and tackle embedded in its throat is ready to return to the wild, officials at the Vancouver Aquarium say.
The sea lion, which was named Flash Gordon by staff, had a large amount of fishing tackle, including a flasher, hanging from its mouth when it was rescued by aquarium staff in Ucluelet, on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.
The aquarium staff will take Flash back to Vancouver Island and release him in Sooke on Wednesday morning.
The 200-kilogram California sea lion first was spotted by locals along the shore near Ucluelet with a 30-centimetre fishing flasher hanging from its left cheek, according to a statement issued by the aquarium.
Aquarium staff rushed over to the island to capture it with the help of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and transport it to the centre in Vancouver where he spent five weeks being treated and recovering.
"After a series of diagnostic testing, a hook was located in the distal esophagus at the level of the heart and was successfully removed endoscopically on August 25," said a statement released on Monday morning.
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