Do you remember the video of the Canadian girl who was dragged into the water by a sea lion over this past weekend? Well, this story made waves in the headlines again as the girl is being treated for a Rare Disease.
What happened
For those who are hearing this story for the first time, a video went viral showing a group of individuals watching sea lions. A young Canadian girl tried to get a closer look when the sea lion grabbed the girl by her dress and pulled her into the water.
In the dramatic and hard to watch viral video, viewers can see an older gentleman quickly jump off of the pier and into the water after the sea lion and the little girl.
The older man got hold of the girl and she was helped back onto the pier and then the older man was pulled back out of the water as well. In the video, you can see someone asking the older man if he was alright before the video ends.
The father has broken the silence
The father of the young Canadian girl who was dragged into the water has broken the silence about what happened. He started by thanking the older relative for responding so quickly to the situation. The father believes that quick thinking is what saved the little girl.
Seal finger
Days after the girl was pulled into the water, the family was urged by the Vancouver Aquarium to have their daughter receive treatment for a dangerous and rare infection called Seal Finger.
Seal finger is a rare and infection disease that is caused by bacteria in the sea lion’s mouth that is extremely resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics. The disease travels through the body through the joints and causes arthritis along the way.
According to sea lion experts, this disease is fairly common for someone who handles sea lions.
It is treated rapidly and with great success. The concern, however, is that because the girl is only six years old. They believe the disease could be serious and scary. Thus, they’ve decided to give the girl preventative medications.
Some blame the family
While the family denies they were feeding the sea lions when the attack occurred, some have blamed the parents of the child for allowing the little girl to get so close to the sea lions.
Regardless of who was at fault, there are a few morals everyone can take away from this story. For starters, families need to avoid getting so close to wild animals. The second is to go to a doctor following a wild animal bite for any needed preventative treatment. Hopefully the girl does not actually contract seal finger, as experts fear what it would do to someone so young.