Nick, the sea lion, weighed 700 pounds during his prime, and his bark was just as huge.
When Nick let it rip, his bark could be heard in City Park and the neighborhoods surrounding the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.
“He was very loud,” said Jake Kubie, a zoo spokesman. “He was very well known.”
Nick’s bark, however, has been silenced. The magnificent sea lion died Thursday while living at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. He had been relocated in 2023 while the Denver Zoo rebuilt its sea lion habitat, which reopened earlier this year. Nick was scheduled to come home this fall, Kubie said.
“It’s been really tough for everybody,” Kubie said.
The cause of Nick’s death is unknown.
The 18-year-old sea lion’s behavior changed recently — not eating and avoiding his caretakers and other sea lions. He was rapidly losing weight.
The Smithsonian veterinary team brought Nick in for a full examination under general anesthesia to diagnose his condition, but Nick’s heart stopped during the procedure. Resuscitation efforts failed, Kubie said.
Nick was rescued as a pup from Seal Rock in North Laguna, California, with his umbilical cord still attached. The Pacific Marine Mammal Center bottle-fed him before he moved to Denver at 10 months old.
“He was given a second chance,” Kubie said.
Nick endeared himself to the zoo staff and visitors because of his large size, his goofy grin and his gentle nature, according to people who work with him in Denver. Years ago, he would pick the winner of Denver Broncos games by fetching balls in the water.
“Nick was such a sweet and silly sea lion,” said Katelyn Stache, assistant curator of carnivores. “Even with his large size, he was incredibly patient and seemed unaware of just how big he was, which made him the perfect animal to help teach many of us how to work with sea lions. He knew so many different behaviors on cue, but his vocalizations were always my favorite. I’m really going to miss his funny grin and seeing the trust he shared with his caretakers. What a special boy.”