Injured Sea-Lion Rescued in Cabo Marina
If you've been out and about on the Cabo San Lucas marina recently
you may have seen the injured sea lion hanging out day after day at the
"P" Dock. Tourists have been paying lots of attention to it, including a
flurry of requests for help via social networks such as facebook and
twitter.
A large sea lion population lives near the marina
at Land's End. Though it is not uncommon to see one of these friendly
sea creatures enter the marina looking for donations from the fishing
boats - or even stealing a prize-winning fish as seen in this now-famous video - they
don't usually stay put like this one did. The sea lion has been in the
marina since late last week.
According to a press
release from PROFEPA, a branch of the Mexican Federal Government
equivalent to the Environmental Protection Agency, a PROFEPA inspector
arrived at the Cabo San Lucas Marina in response to a phone call
alerting them to the presence of a sick or injured sea lion. The marine
mammal was observed floating in the water with its flipper held out
of the water.
According to reports by local Mexican newspaper Peninsular, the sea lion
is a female advanced in age and she reacted aggressively to attempts to
remove her from the water, making the diagnosis and treatment more
difficult.
The PROFEPA inspector, accompanied by a
veterinarian from Cabo Dolphin, found nothing but the scars of old
wounds. After continued observation for two more days, it was determined
that the sea lion was suffering from a gastrointestinal problem and
immediate treatment was given.
Get some rest and heal up, sea lion. Hope to see you out at Land's End again soon!