The Girl Dragged Into Water By Sea Lion Now Has A Rare Infection

The little girl who was dragged into the water by a sea lion in British Columbia now has a hazardous infection. A terrifying video taken Saturday showed the girl being dragged into the water by her dress as onlookers screamed. The incident reportedly took place just after the sea lion had been fed breadcrumbs.

“There was somebody beside [the sea lions] that was trying to feed them,” the girl's father, Mr Lau, told CBC News. "My daughter went to the front to try to see the sea lions, to get a closer look." The girl was saved by the swift response of her grandfather, who immediately jumped into the water to drag her to safety. “If he had one- or two-second doubt about that, my girl could have been gone by then,” Lau said. “That reaction makes him a hero.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Vancouver Aquarium has confirmed that the girl is being treated for "seal finger," a rare and hazardous infection caused by bacteria from a seal's mouth infecting a person's open cut. If untreated, the condition can cause massive swelling leading to the loss of fingers or limbs. "She's going to get the right treatment," Aquarium spokesperson Deana Lancaster told NBC News.