Rescuers free entangled sea lion off Vancouver Island [Video]

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society says the male Steller sea lion was first spotted in March, with a “deeply embedded” packing band around its neck.

The animal was freed from the “life-threatening” situation on Tuesday, with help from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Marine Education and Research Society, the VAMMR said.

The rescue team persevered through heavy rain and high tides, finding the sea lion on a rocky outcrop at Plumper Island, near Port McNeil.

VAMMR veterinarian Dr. Marty Haulena sedated the sea lion, and then rescuers flew a drone to track the animal as it entered the water.

A sea lion is detangled in this image handed out by the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society.The aquarium says Haulena is the only vet in Canada, and one of …