9 days ago
SLIDESHOW: See the animal's injuries
SACRAMENTO, CA - A sea lion with a visible wound to its eye had Old Sacramento visitors concerned Wednesday as the large mammal appeared to be in significant pain, according to witnesses.
The sea lion was spotted with the injury early Wednesday morning along the Sacramento River near the Tower Bridge underneath the Joe's Crab Shack restaurant on Front Street.
Houseboat owner Patrick Rubin said he noticed the sea lion around 4 a.m. Wednesday.
"His eye is really in bad shape," Rubin said. "I don't know if it's been cut or shot. I don't know if he's going to make it or not.
Rubin said the sea lion is one of a half-dozen of the large sea mammals who are often seen swimming in the waters around Old Sacramento.
Throughout the morning, visitors to Old Sacramento watched the perched animal as it sat on a dock along the water's edge.
But around 3 p.m., the sea lion lumbered back into the water and disappeared -- not long before trained rescuers from the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito arrived to offer aid to the injured animal.
The extent of the animal's injury was not immediately clear, Marine Mammal Center spokesman Jim Oswald said.
Marine Mammal staffers had planned to coax the 300 to 500 pound male back into the water and lead it to a safer location to attempt a rescue, Oswald said.
Now, the rescuers said they would remain in Sacramento -- at least, for the time being -- to see if the sea lion emerged again and needed medical attention.
News10/KXTV
