Sea Lion Stuck In Diver's Mask Rescued From Swami's Beach

ENCINITAS, CA – SeaWorld San Diego's animal rescue team Tuesday rescued a year-old sea lion found in Encinitas with his head stuck in a diver's face mask.

The animal rescue team estimates the sea lion had the mask around its neck for multiple weeks and could have died had it not been removed. The mask kept the sea lion from feeding and searching for food. As a result, the pup was dehydrated and roughly 20 pounds underweight, weighing 32 pounds when sea lions his age normally weigh 55 to 65 pounds.

The animal rescue team found the sea lion at Swami's Beach and promptly cut the mask off his neck. The team then took the sea lion to SeaWorld's Animal Health and Rescue Center to treat a large gash where the mask had been. SeaWorld veterinarians treated the wound with an antibiotic gel and will continue to monitor him with the goal of returning him to the ocean later this year.

The rescue team has rescued and rehabilitated 481 marine animals this year, according to SeaWorld, many of them California sea lions and various species of seals. The team has also rescued and rehabilitated one sea turtle and more than 300 marine birds.

SeaWorld San Diego's rescue team has saved and rehabilitated more than 20,000 animals since the park's founding in 1964. The theme park chain's three locations in San Diego, Orlando and San Antonio have rescued more than 34,000 animals combined.

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--City News Service