Liberec Zoo loses last Steller sea lion to swallowed object

The Liberec Zoo in the Czech Republic has lost its last Steller sea lion, a 17-year-old male named Hugo, following his unexpected death. An autopsy revealed that the animal had swallowed the head of a plastic doll, which became lodged at the transition between the stomach and the small intestine.

Zookeepers discovered the damaged body of the doll in the enclosure two days prior to Hugo's death, but the animal had shown no signs of distress and continued to eat normally. Officials noted that performing preventative diagnostic procedures like X-rays or ultrasounds was not feasible due to the high risk of anesthesia for older sea lions, and plastic objects are often difficult to detect via standard imaging.

Hugo was a significant animal for the zoo and part of a European breeding program. In response to the incident, the zoo is reviewing safety measures, including the potential installation of additional surveillance cameras, while continuing renovations on the sea lion enclosure.