The video is moving.
It shows from the dramatic moment in which a juvenile male
South American sea
lion (
Arctocephalus australis
) is found dying on the beach from a wound in the neck, to the happy ending with his return to the sea.
This animal had a second chance at life, after undergoing a rehabilitation process of just over a month, following a
deep cut caused by a fragment of a fishing net.
After the recovery process had satisfactorily passed and after receiving a veterinary discharge, the sea lion returned to the sea, on the beaches of San Clemente, during the morning of this Monday, February 5.
The rescue was carried out by the
Mundo Marino Foundation
on January 2, based on an alert it received from the Civil Defense of the Costa Party about a sea lion stranded on a beach located between the towns of San Clemente and Las Toninas, at altitude of kilometer 314, of provincial route 11. A group of tourists, who were in the area, gave the initial notification to Civil Defense when they found the animal in those conditions.
“Upon entering the Rescue Center we observed an underweight animal, with a deep and cutting wound on the neck, but with a good attitude.
In that sense, we first proceeded to extract the fragment of fishing net that caused the wound and then we began to apply an antiseptic substance to the entire injured area to clean and remove all the necrotic tissue," explained Juan Pablo Loureiro, veterinarian and technical director of the Mundo Marino Foundation.
On the other hand, per protocol, blood and fecal material samples were taken from the animal.
“The blood parameters indicated to us that
he was experiencing an infectious condition
.
That is why we provide antibiotics at a systemic and local level to reverse this condition.
As the days of rehabilitation went by, the animal showed a good eating attitude, eagerly eating the fish we offered it.
That, added to a good behavioral attitude and the recovery of his body mass, showed us that he was ready to return to the sea,” said Loureiro.
The wound on the neck of the sea lion rescued in San Clemente.
Sergio Rodríguez Heredia, biologist and head of the Rescue Center of the Mundo Marino Foundation, reflects on the current environmental problems presented by different species of pinnipeds: “This case is a clear example of the
negative impact of our bad actions: pollution by garbage, plastic and remains of nets in the ocean
.
With this case of this little wolf we see what our carelessness causes in animals.
But today, in the middle of the season, we also have another important negative impact, which is the harassment of people by healthy specimens, such as sea lions, which come out to rest, or elephant seals, which come out to shed their fur.
We always recommend, when you find them, to maintain a safe distance, not to approach them or try to feed them, since they are carrying out a natural physiological behavior."
Recovery at the Mundo Marino Foundation
“Let us remember that taking care of these beautiful creatures is taking care of the environment, and in turn taking care of our health.
We know that human health, environmental health, and that of these little animals are all linked and that the impacts that we are causing today in the marine environment will sooner or later impact our lives,” concludes Rodríguez Heredia.
Previous cases
It is not the first time that animals affected by fishing gear or plastic garbage appear.
Last year in the town of Punta Médanos, the Mundo Marino Foundation rescued a sea lion of the same species injured by a plastic wrap around its neck, while, months before, in the town of Aguas Verdes, a plastic
strap commonly used to industrial-type packaging
, also seriously injured another wolf of the same species.
In both cases the animals were able to successfully rehabilitate themselves and return to the sea.
The South American fur seal "Arctocephalus australis"
As is the case with other species of pinnipeds, this species is polygamous and gives birth to one offspring per year.
They belong to the otariid family and are differentiated from phocids (seals) by having pinna behind their eyes and by using their posterior fins for locomotion (seals, on the other hand, crawl with their bellies).
Happy ending for the sea lion who was able to return to the sea.
The distribution of the Two-haired Wolf is wide and goes from Marco Island, in Uruguay, to Mayorca Island, in Peru.
There are large groups of this species on Uruguayan islands such as Lobos Island, Torres Islands, and Castillo Grande Islands, in the north of the Río de la Plata Estuary.
Their name is due to the fact that they have 2 layers of hair: an internal, waterproof one that keeps the skin dry, and an external one, which covers the first and gives the animal its color.
Males reach a length of close to 2 meters and a weight of 150 kilograms, while females can measure 1.40 meters and weigh up to 60 kilograms.
Regarding food, this species feeds on prawns, shrimp, squid and different types of fish.
MG