A male sea lion rescued by SeaWorld after being impaled with a makeshift harpoon in Oxnard died of his injuries, SeaWorld announced on Thursday.
The sea lion, named “Bubba” died Wednesday, “despite round-the-clock treatment from our veterinarians and animal care team,” SeaWorld stated in a news release.
The animal was brought to the San Diego facility on May 26 after being rescued from a dock in the Channel Islands Harbor.
Rescuers had attempted to corral the sea lion for days after a photo surfaced showing the animal resting on a dock at the Peninsula Yacht Marina (map) with a large gash spanning much of its body vertically, and a rod appearing to stick out from its gut.
It took about an hour and a half to tranquillize, net and transport the 700-pound animal from the water to a truck bound for SeaWorld.
The metal rod, described as a homemade harpoon, was removed before the sea lion was transported.
Once at the park’s Animal Rescue Center, Bubba received injectable antibiotics for several days, but refused to eat and became increasingly lethargic, SeaWorld spokeswoman Jennicca Taylor stated in the release.
On Wednesday, Bubba was sedated for a more in-depth examination to determine the extent of his injury.
During the procedure, he went into cardiac arrest and could not be resuscitated, according to Taylor.
The initial results of the necropsy revealed that Bubba had a “significant” infection.
“While the full results of the necropsy won’t be known for several weeks, park veterinarians feel that the infection, inflammation and metabolic glucose deficiency contributed significantly to Bubba’s death,” Taylor stated.
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