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Swimmer seriously injured by sea lion in San Francisco bay

Posted at 11:43 AM, Dec 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-15 11:43:47-05

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Officials say a person swimming in San Francisco's bay was seriously injured after being bitten by a sea lion.

Oakland television station KTVU reports that officers applied a tourniquet to the swimmer's arm before he was transported to San Francisco General Hospital. Officials say he's expected to recover.

Matthew Reiter with San Francisco Police Department's Marine Unit says the sea lion got near the swimmer and the man splashed water on it but the animal did not go away. The man then yelled at it and that's when the sea lion came up to him and bit him.

A man on a nearby sailboat saw the swimmer in distress and pulled him onto his boat and immediately called police.

The 56-year-old swimmer has not been identified.