Injured Sea Lion Discovered At San Francisco's Aquatic Park
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Good Samaritans and wildlife rescue workers attempted to come to the aid of an injured sea lion Wednesday after it was discovered floundering in the waters of San Francisco's Aquatic Park.
The sea lion appears to have two large wounds on its head and body. It floated for about 30 minutes before unsuccessfully attempting to beach itself.
The U.S. Park Service closed part of the beach by the Hyde Street Pier to help with the rescue, in case it wound up on the beach.
Miguel Melendez was among those who gathered to help the injured mammal.
"I saw a couple wounds -- one on the forehead and another on the underbelly," he said. "It is all bloated and doesn't look healthy."
Workers with the Marine Mammal Center arrived at the pier, hoping the sea lion will beach itself. One volunteer told KPIX 5 they could only help if it beached itself, and a similar incident took three days.
Aquatic Park has been the scene of four sea lion attacks on recreational swimmers over the last three months. The attacks forced National Park rangers to close the waters to swimmers for several days in December.
