Sam, a 12-year-old California sea lion, died earlier this month while under anesthesia for a medical procedure at the Moody Gardens aquarium in Galveston, according to the aquarium. Sam came to Moody Gardens in 2016 and was known for his bark, which often greeted guests at the entrance. Staff said in an Oct. 23 social media post that they were honoring him.
Greg Whittaker, the aquarium's general curator, said staff first noticed changes in Sam's behavior and body after he went through the rut, a metabolic shift male sea lions experience each breeding season. Whittaker said Sam did not regain his appetite and weight the way sea lions usually do after the rut. Staff then put him under anesthesia to find out what was wrong. Whittaker said the procedure was not surgery, and that Sam did not recover from the anesthesia.
Whittaker said the cause of Sam's death is still unknown. A post-mortem surgical examination is underway, and results typically take between one and a half and six weeks. Moody Gardens has set up an ofrenda in its visitor center to honor Sam and other animals that have died. Whittaker said staff are closely connected to the animals and that any loss is a big one for them.