Watch: 22-Year-Old Sea Lion Left Alone In Malta Sparks International Concern
A sea lion named Junior is living a “miserable existence” in an old tank at Malta’s Mediterraneo Marine Park, animal activists have claimed in a report by The Sun.
Junior, now 22, was born at the park and spent his entire life with his companion Dana. But after she died of cancer in April 2023, campaigners say he has been left completely alone.
Footage shared by activist group TideBreakers shows Junior circling his tank, where he has been kept in solitary conditions for the past two years. During a recent visit, activists spoke with his trainer, who confirmed Junior is suffering from arthritis and going blind.
Patagonian sea lions are known to be highly social animals that thrive in large colonies, yet Junior has reportedly only ever had one companion, and now faces seeing out his final years in isolation.
TideBreakers co-founder Marketa told The Sun: “We strongly believe solitary conditions are torture for highly social animals like sea lions.
Total isolation for a gregarious species like a sea lion, along with a crumbling tank, places Junior at risk compounded by his already compromised health. After 22 years of being exploited for profit he should be retired and moved into a facility with better conditions equipped to care for him so he can be reunited with other sea lions.”
During their 15th August visit, activists say they watched Junior perform with his eyes closed throughout the show, and later observed a trainer putting drops in his eyes.
The trainer also revealed that while the park has received permits to import two new male sea lions, aged eight and twelve, and is building a new pool for them, Junior will not meet them due to the age difference and will remain in the deteriorating tank.
Activists told The Sun they fear Junior may even be euthanised once the younger sea lions arrive in the coming weeks.
On 15th September, Malta’s Parliamentary Secretary for Fishing, Aquaculture and Animal Rights, Alicia Bugeja, ordered an independent investigation into the conditions at Mediterraneo Marine Park, prompted by reports about the welfare of its dolphins. TideBreakers are hoping Junior’s case will also be included.
“Junior has lived his life in a concrete tank that’s deteriorating with chipping paint, swimming endless laps or laying completely motionless waiting for another show to work for his food,” Marketa said.
Should Junior finally be moved to a proper facility where he can spend his remaining years with other sea lions?
Footage by The Sun
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