Fanny Bay resident sets up crowd-funding campaign to save entangled sea lions

A Vancouver Island woman is taking matters into her own hands after weeks of fighting to free an entangled sea lion in Fanny Bay.

Kiyo the sea lion was first sighted in the area in February and has its neck wrapped up twice by the line that is now penetrating his skin.

A team of experts from the Vancouver Aquarium attempted a rescue earlier this month, but Kiyo could not be located at the time.

The Vancouver Aquarium says there are significant costs associated with travel and medical supplies used in disentanglement attempts.

So Fanny Bay resident and wildlife photographer Netonia Chatelaine decided to fundraise to help find the money.

A Go Fund Me campaign has been set up online to solicit donations.

Chatelaine wants to raise at least $10,000, with all proceeds going to the Vancouver Aquarium.

Four donations have already been made in the last 17 hours.

Chatelaine hopes the money will make it easier for rescue teams to attempt disentanglements.

“Funding is a huge thing,” says Chatelaine. “Now that we know what we have to work for, that is what we are going to work for. It does not matter if it is a dollar, a toonie or $5, it goes a long way. It is all for Kiyo and other sea lions, nothing else.”

WATCH: Disentangling sea lions

But, Mammal Coordinator with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Paul Cottrell says while money is important, there are many other factors involved in determining the possibility of a disentanglement.

“One of the bottlenecks we have is the expertise. It is a high risk activity,” says Cottrell. “The approach is — it has to be case by case and carefully thought out.”

He says DFO cannot accept funds from crowd-sourcing activities, but it is nice to see Fanny Bay residents wanting to help.

“The Vancouver Aquarium is a key part of our team. They do have expenses that are incurred,” says Cottrell. “It is great when members of the public want to look at this situation and help out where they can.”

Cottrell is reminding about the consequences of discarding debris into the water, and says anyone who sees a distressed animal is asked to call the BC Marine Mammal Response Network at 1-800-465-4336.

“The quicker the information comes to us, the quicker we can respond,” he says.

CORRECTION: The original version of this story stated that no further rescue efforts to free Kiyo have been made since the attempt in early March.  However, a team from the Vancouver Aquarium made another attempt  last Thursday to try and rescue him. Kiyo wasn’t there, but the team did rescue another entangled sea lion.