5PM: Hogle Zoo warns visitors to keep track of their belongings after sea lion threw up sock

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY — Hogle Zoo officials are reminding visitors to keep track of their belongings after one of their sea lions threw up a toddler’s sock Monday morning.

The sea lion, Diego, began showing symptoms he wasn't feeling well Sunday afternoon, Hogle Zoo spokeswoman Erica Hansen said.

Trainers reported he had lost interest in working with them and also threw up blood during a final training session Sunday. Diego was acting normally during the previous two training sessions that day.

"The first two, he was fine and then the third one, they could just tell when (Diego) came out for that third training session, he had no interest in training, he didn't want to eat — all things very uncharacteristic for Diego," Hansen said.

His trainers were worried Diego was dealing with a serious medical issue, such as tumors or cancer. He then puked up the sock the next day, Hansen said. The sea lion began feeling better afterward and it was pretty clear what the culprit was.

"We're quite relieved that's all it was," Hansen added. "We're very relieved his system was able to get it out and that he's back to his old self."

Diego is one of two California sea lions at Hogle Zoo, according to its website. The website states Diego is 14 years old and was brought to the zoo in 2017. It added California sea lions have a typical life span of less than 30 years.

The zoo has had issues in the past with visitors losing objects in enclosures, Hansen said. Zoo officials said animals in their possession can die from eating various foreign objects.

In 2003, Andy, one of the zoo's polar bears at the time, died after eating a glove dropped by a visitor.

Hansen said the staff was happy that wasn't the case this time around. She urged patrons to ask any zoo employee if they drop anything into an enclosure since all employees have a radio to call in the appropriate person.

Those objects are often easily able to be retrieved and returned to patrons by staff, she added. In a Facebook post Tuesday, the zoo urged visitors to keep tabs on what they bring with them, especially loose items like socks, gloves and phones.

"Kids, man, they can wriggle out of socks and let go of sippy cups in a moment's notice, so it does happen all the time," Hansen said. "People often will report to staff. What we're trying to do is just encourage people to please let someone know if you dropped something in an animal enclosure.

"It's is serious; it's very serious and we're very lucky Diego was able to get (the sock) out of his system."