A female sea lion near Cowichan Bay off of Vancouver Island’s east coast has been freed from a severe neck entanglement, thanks to crews that responded to the distressed mammal.

The sea lion, later named Stl’eluqum by the Cowichan Tribes, was first sighted on Nov. 7 with orange twine wrapped so tightly around her neck that it was causing incisions.

The sighting and subsequent reporting kicked off a weeks-long mission by the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society (VAMMR) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).

Using several boats and a drone, crews l ocated and darted the sea lion earlier this week, and ultimately freed her. WATCH | Sea lion freed from rope:

Crews rescue entangled sea lion in B.C.’s Cowichan Bay 10 hours ago | Duration 1:11 Crews rescued an entang

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