Sea Lion Pulled from Creek Bank

A sea lion found stuck in the mud of an East Palo Alto creek was rescued Thursday night with the help of volunteers and a local towing company, a Marine Mammal Center spokeswoman said today.

The animal, which has been named Verbena after Verbena Drive in the area it was located, was brought in to the center around 9:30 p.m., said center spokeswoman Cheryl Reiss. The sea lion was lethargic and underweight. Center center veterinarians are examining the 155-pound male today to determine what is wrong with it, Reiss said.

Verbena was seen drinking water, a possible indication of leptospirosis, a kidney disease that can be fatal for sea lions.

"When they're seen lapping up water like a dog, that's a sign, but it's too soon to say," Reiss said. "He's being examined right now."

Marine Mammal Center volunteers described the rescue as "challenging" and "difficult," Reiss said. The center took the unusual step of asking a local towing company, A&J Towing, to assist in pulling the animal from the mud.

"The guy was incredible, and so were the police," she said.

Sea lions "haul out" of the water and onto land or docks to rest and sun themselves, but given the distance from the ocean, it is unlikely that is how Verbena wound up in the creekbed, she said.

The center recently celebrated a milestone: the rescue of its 10,000th sea lion in Marin.

Another recently rescued sea lion, dubbed King Neptune, was euthanized Thursday night. He was found Aug. 17 on the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf with gunshot wounds, which became infected, causing a serious case of pneumonia to develop.

King Neptune was the fourth sea lion suffering from gunshot wounds that the center has rescued this year. The center admitted nine with gunshot wounds in 2010, and 19 in 2009.

-- Bay City News Service/Patch staff report

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