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New Home Sought For Blinded Sea Lion In Sausalito

SAUSALITO (BCN) - A sea lion found shot in the head late last year, causing him to completely lose his vision, is keeping staff and volunteers on their toes as a more permanent home is being sought, a Marine Mammal Center spokesman said.

Silent Knight, a roughly 6-year-old male adult, was found on the night of Dec. 8 at Swede's Beach in Sausalito suffering from a gunshot wound, Marine Mammal Center spokesman Jim Oswald said.

The injury left Silent Knight blind in both eyes, which creates challenges not only for the sea lion, but also for his caretakers.

"He's basically holding his own," Oswald said.

Due to his disability, specially trained staff and volunteers have come up with creative ways to care for Silent Knight.

To feed him, care givers tap on a bucket of fish to let him know it's time to eat and hand feed him through the fence surrounding his pen, according to the center's website.

Despite being told "all done," Silent Knight tends to linger in hopes of getting more food.

"He's eating voraciously," Oswald said.

After losing about 30 pounds in the first couple of weeks after the shooting, Silent Knight is now up to 345 pounds, which Oswald classified as a normal weight for a sea lion of his size.

Since Silent Knight is blind, he is unable to return to the wild, and the center, in conjunction with the National Marine Fisheries Service, is trying to find a zoo or aquarium that can accommodate him.

Under guidelines set by the Fisheries Service, the center has six months to find to a facility that can offer Silent Knight a permanent home.

If a permanent home is not determined within that time frame, the animal could potentially be euthanized, center officials said, though an extension could be available.

Right now, the center is in negotiations with a couple of zoos and aquariums and has received a lot of requests for Silent Knight, Oswald said.

"He'll do fine at a zoo or aquarium," Oswald said, adding that Silent Knight will have to be specially trained on how to navigate his new digs.

"We want to make sure he has the best possible environment," Oswald said.

Center officials hope to find a home suitable for Silent Knight within the next few months.

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)

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