"A sea lion captured at a Columbia River dam died Tuesday while state authorities were preparing to transport it from a Tacoma zoo to another facility.

The 1,454-pound California sea lion had been anesthetized Tuesday afternoon during a veterinary exam at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, said Sandra Jonker, spokeswoman for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. As the male sea lion was coming out of anesthesia, it struggled to resume breathing and died."

Others are on their way to Sea World in San Antonio. Geez. Maybe getting shot would have been less painful.