Seal rescued and named in honour of a Canadian sporting hero

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NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A seal badly injured by humans has been rehabilitated, released, and named in honour of the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal on Canadian soil.

The pup, “Maelle Ricker,” was found in mid-December on Vancouver Island according to Lindsaye Akhurst with the Vancouver Aquarium.

“The actual netting itself was embedded into her neck, probably about an inch deep, so it was pretty painful for her,” she explains. “It’s definitely concerning this is an animal that has an injury because of humans so we are hoping to see a lot less of this in the future. We are also hoping to get to these animals sooner.

Her namesake, Olympic medalist Maelle Ricker was on hand to help her back into the water. “I’m extremely honored. It’s a pretty big privilege… to meet everybody behind the scenes and sort of see how it all works. It’s very new to me, but I have learned a lot.”

Ricker adds this type of situation highlights the dangers humans can pose to ocean animals. “It’s about being aware of all the plastics that are getting put into our waterways that are affecting the habitat and the animals.”

Today’s event marks the start of registration for this year’s Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.

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