Sea lion dead after ‘disgusting and intentional’ gunshots, California rescuers say
A sea lion suffering gunshot wounds was found last month on a Southern California beach — but experts’ best efforts weren’t enough to save the animal, rescuers said.
The California sea lion, a young yearling that rescuers named Mandalorian, was discovered in distress at the Wedge in Newport Beach along the Orange County coast the morning of Dec. 16, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center said in a news release on Tuesday.
Rescuers discovered “two distinct wounds, one of which was a draining abscess on her dorsal back causing her pain and discomfort and limiting her ability to move normally,” the center said.
X-rays confirmed that two gunshot wounds, likely from a pellet gun, caused the injuries, according to rescuers.
Mandalorian “was carefully monitored throughout the next week, and despite treatment, her health continued to decline,” rescuers said.
The one-and-a-half-year-old sea lion was euthanized Dec. 22, according to the center, in what rescuers called “a difficult decision.”
“Unfortunately, what we saw is taking place up and down the Pacific Coast. These are disgusting and intentional acts, many of which are pre-meditated,” Peter Chang, CEO at the center, said in the news release. “We know there are many out there that feel like they are competing with the sea lions for the same resources. However, there’s a pathway for us to cohabitate with these precious marine mammals, and shooting them is not the way.”
One bullet hit the animal between the rib and adjacent vertebrae — a point of entry that “most likely became infected, leading to severe muscle necrosis around the impact site and an accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity,” rescuers said.
Another gunshot was stuck in the musculature between Mandalorian’s ribs.
“You could clearly see the animal was in pain,” said Krysta Higuchi, a spokeswoman for the center, according to the Los Angeles Times. “The silver lining is she is no longer suffering. We were able to give her a peaceful death.”
Rescuers said the pellets will be sent to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Law Enforcement for investigation.
“We don’t know who did this — if it was a fisherman, or if it was someone frustrated that the animal was on their boat, or if it was a little kid playing with their BB gun,” Higuchi said, per the Times. “We just want to educate the public that there are other ways to co-exist with these animals.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Sea lion dead after ‘disgusting and intentional’ gunshots, California rescuers say."
