A Sick Sea Lion Was Aided By RivCo Firefighters, LA Lifeguards, California Wildlife Center

BEAUMONT, CA — Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters aided with relocating a sickened sea lion off of Zuma Beach and into the care of marine mammal experts during the Los Angeles wildfires this week.

The Engine 20 firefighters of Battalion 3 from the Banning/Beaumont and Pass Area were assigned to aid the Pacific Palisades Firefight, staying at Zuma Beach Base Camp, spokesperson Maggie Cline De La Rosa said. It was there that they were asked to help a rescue expert with the California Wildlife Center who would take the animal to the Marine Mammal Center for urgent treatment.

Unfortunately, the adult female sea lion died within 24 hours of the rescue, a spokesperson from the Marine Mammal Center told Patch. Veterinarians will investigate what caused her illness.

"The Engine 20 firefighters from the Beaumont area were assigned to the Palisades Fire since it started," Cal Fire spokesperson Maggie Cline De La Rosa told Patch. Fire Captain Chris O’Neill, Fire Apparatus Engineer Ron Bourguignon, and Firefighters Blake Miller and Justin Stover were staging with a strike team when they were asked to assist a marine mammal expert from the California Wildlife Center with the rescue.

“The animal rescue organization worker requested their assistance in corralling a sea lion that she believed was sick and needed to go to their rescue for treatment. They helped load and carry the animal to the animal rescue transport van.“

As the below video shows, rescuing a sick or injured ocean mammal is no small feat.

The Engine 20 team learned new rescue techniques as they aided the marine mammal rescue expert who wrangled the sea lion into a crate, transporting her for evaluation and treatment by veterinarians.

CEO John Warner of the Marine Mammal Care Center told Patch that "though the cause of her death remains under investigation, "there is no indication that (her condition) was related to the wildfires." The Marine Mammal Center in San Pedro has not seen direct effects of wildfire smoke on marine mammals’ health in past fires in Southern California or Northern California.

The center received a few sea lion patients in the last week with leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can be deadly. According to Warner, veterinarians will perform a necroscopy to determine whether this animal was affected by that illness.

"While land-based mammals and pets may experience symptoms from wildfire smoke, our marine mammal patients have not shown any adverse effects. Our dedicated team continues to rescue and care for marine mammals in need. If you see an injured or ill marine mammal, please call our hotline at 1-800-39-WHALE to report it."

Learn more about the Marine Mammal Care Center on Facebook.