SANTA BARBARA - A mature female sea lion spotted days ago near the Santa Barbara Harbor with two deep gashes above its tail was captured Friday morning and euthanized.
Peter Howarth, Director of the Marine Mammal Center, confirmed to KEY News the sea lion was maimed by a juvenile Great White Shark more than a week ago, most likely in waters off East Beach. Infection helped the biologist determine the approximate time of attack.
Howarth was emotional moments after putting the animal down, and expressed amazement at how long the cow survived with such extensive injuries inflicted by an eight to nine foot shark.
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