The Seneca Park Zoo has announced the death of a ten year old male California Sea Lion, named Boomerang.
They say he died last Friday. The cause of death is pending various tests. Boomerang was acquired by the zoo about a year and a half ago. He was a rescue animal. When he was a pup, he was found stranded along the California Coast.
This was the second death of a sea lion at the local zoo in the last five weeks.
Last month, a seven year old sea lion named Marina died. Director of animal health and conservation, Dr. Jeffrey Wyatt says the deaths are not related, but he does say these deaths really hit the zoo staff hard.
“Definitely like a family member or even a beloved pet, so they are mourning and also looking forward to move on as well as try to gather information so we possibly may learn something about the cause of Boomerang’s death.”
Wyatt says the average age for a sea lion in captivity is usually about 20 years.
The zoo still has two other sea lions, Lily and Sunny.
