On May 26, sea lion, Bubba, was taken to SeaWorld San Diego after being rescued from a dock the Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard. A harpoon-like blade was impaled in Bubba's side. Even after providing treatment and care to the animal around the clock, officials failed to keep Bubba alive.

SeaWorld spokeswoman Jennicca Taylor said Bubba received injections and antibiotics for several days. It was repeatedly offered fish, but Bubba did not have it and with every passing day, it became sedentary.

On June 3, Bubba was sedated so that park veterinarians can carry out medical exam in detail. They wanted to know the extent of its injury and also to take blood samples. During the exam, Bubba went to cardiac arrest and despite making efforts to resuscitate the sea lion, but it could not be revived and died.

Necropsy has been carried out and its initial results have revealed that the wound has penetrated six centimeters into Bubba's side. He suffered quite a severe infection that could not have been known from its death.

Its wound has not entered into the abdominal cavity, but expansion of abdominal lymph nodes suggests chronic infection. Even the blood sample taken during the exam showed increased inflammation level and low glucose.

Complete results of necropsy will take time to come. But park veterinarians think the infection, inflammation and metabolic glucose deficiency added to Bubba's death.