The Aquarium of the Pacific is investigating the death of Odin, the sea lion shown above. Odin died Sunday afternoon unexpectedly. A spokeswoman said staffers at the facility are “heartbroken.” Photo courtesy of the Aquarium of the Pacific.
2:45pm | The Aquarium of the Pacific is conducting a medical investigation into the unexpected death of Odin, one of its “most beloved” sea lions, an aquarium spokeswoman said.
Odin died Sunday afternoon moments after suffering a sudden onset of tremors, said Marilyn Padilla, a spokeswoman for the aquarium.
“Prior to this, Odin’s behavior had been normal,” she said in a May 16 e-mail. “This came as a shock as Odin had shown no signs of illness or trauma, had been eating well, and his prior physical exams were normal.”
The sea lion came to the aquarium in 2006 after he was found stranded and malnourished as a pup on Zuma Beach and was determined to be unreleasable into the wild because he was completely blind, preventing him from being able to hunt for food.
“When he joined our mammals in his new home, he was quickly adopted by our other sea lions, who accompanied him around the exhibit for the first time,” said Perry Hampton, Aquarium of the Pacific’s vice president of animal husbandry. “After that, he could glide around the exhibit on his own.
“He was one of our smartest animals. Although he was blind and rescued from the wild, he would often learn things faster than other sea lions with full vision,” Hampton continued. “He will be greatly missed.”
The male sea lion had been a favorite among staff and visitors who were inspired by Odin, who was named after a Norse mythological character who had given up an eye to drink from the fountain of wisdom, Padilla said.
“We are all deeply saddened, as Odin was a special part of our aquarium family,” Padilla said.