Sea lion found shot on Vancouver's Kitsilano Beach in poor condition, rescuers say

A young sea lion that was found shot in the head on Vancouver's Kitsilano Beach Friday remains in poor condition, according to rescuers.

The Vancouver Aquarium saidthey received a call about the young female sea lion on Friday.

The aquarium's marine mammal rescue teamfound the animal, believed to be two or three years old, in the sea near the Kitsilano Yacht Club.

Veterinarians believeit was shot in the head with a large calibre full-jacketed bullet and had been suffering for a "quite a few days" before it was found.

"She is under constant watch right now," said Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian and director of animal health at the aquarium.

"She did survive overnight, which is a good sign. But she remains very, very weak, very poorly responsive. So I'm very concerned about her."

Haulena says the sea lion has lost one eye to the gunshot wound, with another severely damaged.

He says it is unlikely it would survive if it werereleased into the wild, given its lack of vision.

"The aquarium has been very gracious in offering homes for a lot of these animals that are blind," he said. "We have, unfortunately, several animals that are blind after being gunshot that live at the aquarium now and are happy."

"Our goal is always to try and release the animals certainly, animals that survive are doing very well. But it's a very long-term process for these animals."

Cannot be shot without permit

Sea lions are "of special concern" in B.C., which means they are not yet endangered but are threatened by habitat loss and human activity.

Haulena says their populations are recovering following regulations, but they are still a concern for conservationists.

It is illegal under the federal Fisheries Act to shoot marine animals without a rarely-granted permit, with Haulena saying there could be "hefty" fines for anyone who does so illegally.

"There's certainly some folks that just seem to like to shoot at animals, unfortunately," he said. "I also probably think some folks perceive sea lions as a competition for fisheries' resources that's where a conflict might arise."

Haulena sayshe is thankful to everyone involved in the rescue effort, including workers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada who supported the rescuers, and staff from the yacht club who allowed them to access the property after hours.

He advises the public to call the aquarium if they suspect a marine animal is in distress.

"[During the rescue], people are walking by. Without a doubt, everybody was completely concerned about the sea lion," he said. "That part is really great. People can be great."