Botham, the only sea lion in Sri Lanka, is recovering after specialist surgery to remove a cancer that in most countries would have led to the animal being put down, officials at the Dehiwala National Zoological Gardens said on Thursday.
The 16-year-old animal was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma after a series of veterinary examinations, NewsFirst reported. Botham was brought to Sri Lanka from Nagoya Zoo in Japan under an animal exchange programme and had been in good health until the condition was found.
“In many parts of the world, the usual course of action in a case like this is humane euthanasia. That was the challenge we faced,” said Dr. Dhamikka Dasanayake, Director of Animal Health and Nutrition at the zoo. “We needed to find specialists with experience in handling such a condition because this was the first time we had encountered a situation like this.”
Rather than euthanise the animal, the zoo’s veterinary team, the Department of National Zoological Gardens and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine searched abroad for expertise. The operation was performed under general anaesthesia after extensive pre-operative testing, and the overseas team volunteered its services free of charge, providing medicines not available locally.
Dr. Dasanayake credited Dr. Dinuka Sonnadara, the veterinarian responsible for the sea lion section, with coordinating the effort, and named Director General Dr. R.C. Rajapaksha and the Ministry Secretary among those who backed it.
Daily Mirror carried the same account of a first-of-its-kind procedure and said the surgery was carried out under the supervision of the Ministry of Environment, by a team of Department of National Zoological Gardens veterinary officers working with a foreign specialist it identified only by the first name Paolo, described as an expert in sea lions and other marine animals.
The two accounts disagree on when the surgery was performed
NewsFirst reports that the international team arrived in Sri Lanka on July 28 and that the operation was carried out on July 30. Daily Mirror gives the date as June 30.
The two reports also differ on the specialists. NewsFirst says the zoo connected with a veterinary team based in Hong Kong; Daily Mirror names a single foreign expert, Paolo, and gives no location. Neither outlet reconciles the other’s version, and no correction has been published on either side. The zoo has not issued a public statement giving a date.
The outlets also differ on Botham’s sex: NewsFirst reports throughout that she is a female sea lion, while Daily Mirror refers to the animal as “his”. NewsFirst quotes Dr. Dasanayake directly — “She is a female sea lion named Botham” — so this report follows that account.
Recovery, and a zoo with one sea lion left
Botham’s public appearances have been suspended while she recovers under close supervision. “At present she is resting comfortably and recovering,” Dr. Dasanayake said. “We believe that before long she will make a full recovery and be able to return to activities enjoyed by our visitors.”
At 16, Botham is well into the 15-to-20-year range the zoo gives as a typical sea lion lifespan. She has been the zoo’s only sea lion since the death of the male roughly two years ago — which is why the alternative to surgery would have ended the species’ presence in Sri Lanka’s oldest zoo altogether.
Neither outlet reported what the surgery cost, whether follow-up treatment or monitoring for recurrence is planned, or when Botham is expected to return to public view.
