Fundraiser Underway For Sea Lion's Life-Saving Surgery

MALIBU, CA – Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles is hosting a fundraiser to cover the costs of a life-saving surgery they performed on a young male California sea lion. Rory was rescued in March from Pirates Cove in Malibu by the California Wildlife Center.

The sea lion was suffering from a draining abscess near the base of his tail, and without the surgery he would have likely died from his injuries, Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles wrote on GoFundMe. Abscesses are fairly common among sea lions, but usually they clear up pretty quickly with drainage and antibiotics, Dr. Lauren Palmer, a hospital veterinarian said in the GoFundMe video for Rory.

"That just didn't happen with him," she said. "That's when we found that this infection had eaten away from his bones – surgery was the only option.

Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles doesn't routinely perform surgeries due to a lack of space for the surgery and post-operative recovery, they wrote on the GoFundMe page.

"Each surgery requires us to spend a significant amount of time and resources on a single patient, but when the outcome is potentially life-saving, we do it," they wrote.

The Marine Mammal Care Center needs to raise $10,000 to cover the costs of Rory's surgery and other surgeries for sick or injured patients. So far, they've raised $590.

If you would like to donate to help Rory, visit the GoFundMe page.

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner; Image via YouTube screengrab