A California sea lion that made an unexpected appearance at a home and freshwater pond in Pender Harbour has been successfully returned to the ocean.
Last week, residents in the Oyster Bay area witnessed a 250-kilogram sea lion, dubbed James Pond, sleeping outside a home and swimming in a pond, according to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.
On Dec. 27 a team from the rescue centre and officers from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) responded by tranquilizing the mammal and transporting him to a boat launch at Joe Bay where he was assessed. The drugs were reversed and he was “nice and bright” before he was released into the ocean, said Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian at the rescue centre.
“He wouldn’t tell us,” said Haulena when Coast Reporter asked why James Pond had ventured so far inland, into freshwater and to someone’s home. While sea lions are known to swim up freshwater rivers, Haulena described this incident as “probably the weirdest one” he’s been involved with, since the mammal was located in a “marshy, swampy” area several kilometres inland and likely had to cross a road to get there, in addition to making his way up the various creeks and waterways connected to the pond. Despite their size, “they are pretty mobile” on land, said Haulena.
Haulena said there are a few scenarios that could cause sea lions to act abnormally, such as intoxication from a biotoxin produced during algae blooms, head trauma or certain infectious disease. “There is a possibility there is something wrong with him,” Haulena said, so the sea lion has been tagged for future identification.
If residents witness the sea lion in an unusual location again, or if he appears in distress, they can call the Aquarium’s rescue line at: 604-258-SEAL (7325) or the DFO hotline: 1-800-465-4336.
