Ukee, the Steller sea lion rescued in Ucluelet on Oct. 11 was euthanized on Oct. 25, 2018. Credit: Vancouver Aquarium.
A Steller sea lion who was rescued off the west coast of Vancouver Island with a gunshot wound has been euthanized.
On Friday, the Vancouver Aquarium announced on Facebook that the Steller sea lion, dubbed Ukee, had been euthanized on Oct. 25 after almost two weeks of critical care.
Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium, said Ukee wasn’t responding to treatment and his condition had gone downhill in the past two days.
“At this point, we had to evaluate his quality of life. Although we are disappointed we couldn’t return him to full health, we are glad we could end his suffering and make his final days more comfortable. I am so proud of the team for the incredible care they gave him,” Haulena said in a statement.
The Steller sea lion, who was between eight and 10 years old, was rescued from a rocky shoreline near Ucluelet with a gunshot wound to its head. Seven personnel from the rescue centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) staff, Parks Canada staff, local volunteers, a truck and crane from Windsor Plywood and a cargo van were all utilized to rescue the animal.
Ukee was the biggest animal who had ever been admitted to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, with an estimated weight of around 300 to 350 kilograms. This was below the healthy weight of an adult male Steller sea lion. Adult males can weigh up to 800 kilograms and reach lengths of three metres.
He was the second sea lion to be admitted to the rescue centre with gunshot wounds in a year-and-a-half.
In May 2017, Señor Cinco, an adult male California sea lion, was rescued from Spanish Banks beach in Vancouver. He had been blinded and his teeth broken by multiple gunshots. Unable to forage and feed himself, he was severely emaciated.
After a year of rehabilitation at the Rescue Centre, Señor Cinco was deemed non-releasable by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He was moved to his long-term home at the Vancouver Aquarium.
The Steller sea lion is a species of special concern under the federal Species at Risk Act. It faces threats in the wild including decreased availability of prey, pollution, predation, and entanglement. The species declined through many years of being hunted, but since 1970 it has been protected in Canada under the federal Fisheries Act, which prohibits commercial hunting of the Steller sea lion.
If you see a marine mammal that you believe is in distress, stay back, keep people and pets away and call the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre at 604-258-SEAL (7325), or the DFO hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
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