A wayward sea lion captured a mile from water in the East Bay over the weekend was euthanized Tuesday after doctors determined it suffered from a disease that caused brain deterioration and made it impossible for the mammal to navigate.
The 5-year-old California sea lion, a female named Na'au by her caretakers at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, would not have survived long in the wild or in captivity, said Jim Oswald, communications director at the center.
"We can't send an animal into the wild and expect her to have a normal life knowing that she'd have seizures out there and die," Oswald said. "At the end of the day, it's all about making the difficult decisions and choosing a humane response."
Sad story. Necessary action.
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