Girl Dragged into Water by Wild Animal Is Treated for ‘Seal Finger’

It is every parent’s nightmare: Your carefree, happy child is suddenly dragged away from you by a wild animal.

Yet that’s exactly what happened to a young girl last weekend when a sea lion in Vancouver surged upward toward the ledge where she was sitting, grabbed her, and pulled her down into the water with it.

Did she get too close to the water’s edge? Yes. Was she feeding a wild animal she shouldn’t have been feeding? Yes. Did her parents keep her well back in order to prevent any sort of tragedy like this? No.

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Reports have emerged that the girl is now receiving medical treatment to prevent a potential bacterial infection that could have entered her body through a cut on her finger.

The family of the girl has still not been identified; but the family apparently contacted the Vancouver aquarium for help after hearing marine experts discuss “seal finger” during media interviews, according to a Fox News report.

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“The family saw the media reports and got in touch with us,” Deana Lancaster, the aquarium spokeswoman, told ABC News. “She did get a superficial wound, and she’s going to get the right treatment.”

“Seal finger is caused by several types of mycoplasma bacteria that are found in the mouths of sea mammals,” noted the Fox News report. “If left untreated, the infection could turn severe, and even lead to a loss of fingers or limbs.”

“If any member of our animal care team receives a bite from a seal or sea lion, they take a letter from our vet with them to the hospital, which explains that the infection is resistant to some antibiotics,” Lancaster told ABC News.

No one quite knows exactly what treatment or protocol the child is receiving right now, but according to the report, antibiotics such as tetracycline may be used on patients.

“This was a male California sea lion. They are not circus performers. They’re not trained to be next to people.”

The terrifying incident of last week was captured on video by a college student standing nearby, who recorded it on his cellphone. Michael Fujiwara told the Vancouver Sun that the sea lion had attracted attention from tourists in the area — and “that the girl and her family were possibly feeding the animal before it grabbed her and dragged her into the water,” Fox News noted.

Right after the seal lion grabbed the back of her dress and dragged her into the water, an adult family member dove in and separated her from the animal — and helped her back up to safety.

A marine mammal expert at the University of British Columbia noted that the girl’s family “took a risk when they got close to the animal,” as Fox News reported.

“This was a male California sea lion,” Andrew Trites told the CBC. “They are not circus performers. They’re not trained to be next to people.”