Captured sea lion dies during health exam
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
By ERIK ROBINSON, Columbian Staff WriterA California sea lion died Tuesday during a health examination at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, a day after state authorities trapped the 1,454-pound creature at Bonneville Dam.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that the animal stopped breathing after being anesthetized for a health examination at the zoo.
“There is a risk when handling animals that mortality can occur,” said Sandra Jonker, regional wildlife program manager for the department in Vancouver.
The National Marine Fisheries Service last month granted permission for state authorities to kill as many as 85 sea lions a year at Bonneville Dam, where they have in recent years consumed a growing proportion of Endangered Species Act-listed salmon and steelhead.
However, a federal court ruled last week that sea lions could not be killed under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the case next month and issue a ruling after the spring salmon run ends.
Rather than killing sea lions, state authorities have found homes for as many as 20 nuisance animals they intend to relocate to zoos and aquariums.
Seven animals, including the one that died Tuesday, were being held in temporary quarantine at the Tacoma zoo for disease testing before being transferred to other zoos and aquariums across the country.
The sea lion that died Tuesday was considerably larger than the normal 800- to 900-pound range of typical animals.
“It had a lot of blubber on it,” Jonker said, “basically from feeding.”
The Department of Fish and Wildlife reported the animal died while being examined by a team that included an Oregon veterinarian, a Washington marine mammal biologist and a federal animal-care expert. | 
Email This
Larger Font
Print This
Smaller Font
