Dr. Kimberlee Beckman has a risky job. She’s a veterinarian with Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game and is part of the Sea Lion Capture program used in research and conservation efforts.
Capturing and releasing Sea Lions in a safe and humane manner is priority number one. This is why Dr. Kimberlee Beckman and her fellow researchers use Dan-Inject Dart Guns to perform their work.
Here, Dr. Beckman attempts to dart Sea Lion H80 in an attempt to disentangle the sea lion and care for his wound.
The Fish and Game Safeboat approached to about 15 meters and Beckmen, lying in the bow, darted H80 in the right hind leg, an ideal shot placement. H80 entered the water in less than a minute and was monitored closely; as he went under sedation, he continued to breathe well at the surface and responded as expected. Within about 20 minutes he was sufficiently sedated and crew maneuvered next to him. Beckmen attempted to remove the entangling material. She probed the wound extensively and discovered the foreign material had become overgrown and embedded in the flesh. She decided more invasive cutting or surgery would cause more damage than leaving the plastic material in place.
Dan-Inject Dart Guns is proud to be Dr. Beckman’s and the Alaska Game and Wildlife’s immobilization equipment of choice.
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