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Sea lion tangled in garbage of Vancouver coast rescued (PHOTOS + VIDEO)

They performed minor surgery while on a buoy

The Vancouver Aquariums Marine Mammal Rescue crew were out late last week rescuing a sea lion.

The unfortunate sea lion had a piece of plastic wrapped tightly around her neck, causing a bloody wound.

The adult female Stellar sea lion was on one of the buoys near Delta Port on Thursday, March 24, when they were able to reach her, with help from the Department of Fisheries. They believe she'd been suffering for several months.

"The team had to make several incisions to remove the deeply embedded strap," states the aquarium in a press release.

If the team didn't intervene the trash would have likely killed the giant mammal, which likely measured close to 8 feet long and weighed hundreds of pounds.

"The team cleaned the wound and treated her with antibiotics," states the aquarium. "The sea lion recovered well and DFO drone footage captured her swimming away in the water."

In one of the videos released the sea lion can be seen leaping off the buoy into the water and swimming away. Her group was likely nearby, as they could be seen in other footage watching the situation.