Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Salt Lake City zookeepers say a popular California sea lion has died a few days after staff members noticed he'd lost interest in eating and training.
Hogle Zoo officials say the sea lion named Big Guy died on Monday. Vets who performed an animal autopsy on him say he had a large cancerous tumor that was spreading to other organs and would have been untreatable.
Zoo staff members say they noticed Big Guy's unusual behavior on July 4. He died four days later while veterinarians sedated him in an effort to diagnose the problem.
Officials say Big Guy washed up on the shores of Southern California in 2010 after a traumatic incident that left him blind in both eyes.
Related:
Hogle Zoo to bring visitors and animals up close and personal
Petting zoos aren't just for bunnies and goats anymore, at least not at Utah's Hogle Zoo.He arrived at Hogle Zoo in 2012.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
