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A new star arrives in Salt Lake City: meet Diego the sea lion

Posted at 6:46 PM, Feb 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-16 20:46:04-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- Weighing in at a rotund 667 pounds, Diego is the perfect picture of a strong male California Sea Lion.

Diego made his public debut at Hogle Zoo Thursday, demonstrating an impressive array of tricks he learned at the Indianapolis Zoo, where he made his home before a move to Utah in mid-January.

One of Diego's trainers, Janine Bartling, said Diego is actually helping train his human "coworkers."

"He's been extremely patient with us, learning all the cues, and when we get it wrong, he just looks at us with this look on his face like, 'No, try again guys,'" Bartling said.

Diego is 12 years old and joins Maverick, the zoo's 6-year-old sea lion.