Sea lion found with rope around its neck on Monterey Wharf
MONTEREY, Calif. (KION-TV)- Viewers sent a photo of a sea lion found along the Monterey Wharf with a rope seemingly tied around its neck.
It was spotted Monday, and The Marine Mammal Center says they've received multiple reports of entangled sea lions in the Monterey area, including this one.
They told KION that they are requesting approval from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to try and free the sea lion. It is unknown what is wrapped around the sea lion's neck, said MMC.
They will either try "remote sedation" or a type of netting operation, which are the two normal modes of specialized responses to larger entangled sea lions that are in good condition otherwise.
Other factors they're considering are where the animal is and if it consistently shows up in that area.
MMC says there's some difficulty with this case because it's during a time when all the sea lions are hanging out at the wharf. When they find them, they have to find a way to isolate them once they get approval to free it.