Runaway sea lion found mile from the ocean
Sea Lion Takes Surprise Field Trip Through La Jolla Village
We all know La Jolla's sea lions love to lounge around The Cove, bark at tourists, and occasionally photobomb someone's engagement photos. But one adventurous pup decided the ocean life wasn't cutting it and went house hunting instead.
In late January, a juvenile male sea lion apparently left La Jolla Cove under cover of darkness, waddled his way through The Village, crossed Torrey Pines Road (yes, that Torrey Pines Road), and ended up chilling in the front yard of a home on Massena Street near La Jolla Country Club, nearly a mile from the coast.
Homeowners Kim Weiss and Alan London were out of town when their security system went off around 7:15 a.m. on January 26. They initially feared intruders. Instead, they found a crowd of neighbors gathered around a confused sea lion pup lounging on their porch behind a short stone wall.
Neighbor Laura Spielman, who has animal rescue experience through her nonprofit Rosie Project and the San Diego Humane Society, arrived first. She expected a struggle getting the pup into a dog crate but the little guy jumped right in on his own. Spielman rushed the animal to SeaWorld San Diego for emergency care.
Here's the twist: this was actually the pup's second trip to SeaWorld. He had been rescued, rehabilitated, and returned to La Jolla Cove just eleven days earlier on January 15. Rescuers now believe he may have been released too soon. He had lost 30 percent of his body weight and was clearly struggling.
SeaWorld tested the pup for domoic acid, a neurotoxin linked to harmful algae blooms that have plagued San Diego's coast for four years. He tested negative but may have been exposed in utero.
The good news: the little escape artist is now gaining weight, competing with other animals for fish at SeaWorld, and getting a proper second chance before his eventual return to The Cove.
If you spot an animal in distress, call SeaWorld's 24-hour rescue hotline at 800-541-SEAL (7325).
Sources: San Diego Union-Tribune | FOX 5 San Diego | NBC 7 San Diego | CBS 8