Sea lions are set to be used as lifeguards on the Costa Blanca in a special experiment. Valencia City’s Oceanographic Foundation, in Valencia, which is the largest aquarium in Europe, will lead the project, which will train the docile mammals in the hope of using them to save lives in local waters.
“It’s a long-term project investigating how animals can be used for rescues in emergency situations in the same way that dogs work with the fire brigade,” said Celia Calabuig, from the Foundation. Experts have compared the intelligence and quick learning abilities of sea lions to those of dogs, which are already used around the world in search and rescue work, including a lifeguard dog that works on the Mar Menor.
