Nila is a female California sea lion that lives at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead, New York.
Nila was found malnourished, dehydrated and emaciated in California on March 17, 2014. At nine months old she weighed only 18 pounds, whereas a healthy sea lion pup of that age should weigh between 40 to 50 pounds.
She was rescued and cared for by Channel Island Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIWMI) in Santa Barbara, California but was deemed non releasable.
Nila was brought to the Long Island Aquarium in mid-July 2014 and became viewable to the public in 2015.
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Candy Paparo, the director of animal training at the Long Island Aquarium and Nila.