Pets & Animals

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ― Crews with the Marine Mammal Center are looking for at least one or possibly two injured California sea lions seen along the San Francisco coastline Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

A sea lion was spotted late Friday night at Pier 39 with an entanglement around its neck and head. After viewing the animal's plight, which was televised live by CBS 5, crews went out to see if they could rescue it, center spokesman Jim Oswald said.

However, because "it was dark and there's no good way to rescue an animal on a floating dock," the decision was made to try to rescue the sea lion the next morning, Oswald said.

When crews returned to the dock Saturday morning, the animal dove into the water and was not found despite the efforts of a group from the center that patrolled the nearby waters for several hours Saturday, according to Oswald.

Around 4 p.m., a sea lion was spotted again, this time at the Hyde Street Pier. A crew went out for another rescue attempt, but the animal eluded them, Oswald said. The crew stopped again when it got dark.

After reviewing video footage shot of the animal, Marine Mammal Center officials believe the rescue attempts may have been for two separate sea lions, according to Oswald.

He said while it doesn't appear to be the same animal, both sea lions are dealing with a similar entanglement, what looked like a fishing line around its neck and head.

A fishing line is "pretty dangerous because we don't know if there are hooks in it," Oswald said.

He said he did not know if a search for the sea lion or sea lions would resume Sunday.

"Generally we rely on people to call, so we'll just have to see what happens," Oswald said. "The big thing is doing it in a safe manner."

"If these animals appear again, and we can get to them for a rescue, we're definitely going to do it," Oswald said.

Images of the struggling sea lion floating on a dock were first broadcast on CBS 5 Eyewitness News at 11 p.m. Friday. The mammal appeared to have a fishing line tightly wrapped around its neck and snout and looked as if it was having difficulty breathing.

Nearby tourists watched helplessly and called on the Marine Mammal Center to respond sooner.

"The Marine Mammal Center calls itself a 24-hour rescue," Myron from Hawaii said. "If it says 24-hour rescue service I think they should be out here to assess it right now."

The nonprofit organization defended its handling of the situation saying rescues at night with no direct foot access are too risky.

"The level of difficulty is extremely high in a situation like this," said Erin Brody, Stranding Coordinator of the Marine Mammal Center.

Brody said a rescuer from the center in a small boat cruised through northern bay points, looking for the sea lion starting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. The search was called off around 1 p.m.

"Now we are waiting and watching for reports that the animal will come to shore," said Brody. "We are poised to respond. The rescue teams are still on standby, still ready should another sighting take place."

The plight of the sea lion drew an unusually large response from CBS 5 viewers. E-mails and phone calls poured in to the station during and after the airing of the story late Friday night. Most of the viewers expressed frustration with the lack of immediate response.

The injured sea lion was discovered in the same tourist hot spot where over 1,000 sea lions used to call home. They recently vanished from the Pier 39 docks after a 20-year stay.

Anyone that sees a sea lion that appears to be in danger is encouraged to call (415) 289-SEAL.

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