Photo: SWNS
A 250-pound sea lion has returned to the ocean after a group of animal lovers found the animal on the side of a busy road.
On Jan. 7, drivers on Route 94 eastbound in San Diego spotted the male marine mammal on the busy road and shepherded the animal to safety.
The Good Samaritans then contacted California Highway Patrol. The agency rescued the sea lion from the side of the road — which was four miles from the nearest beach — with the help ofSeaWorld’s rescue team.
SWNS
Experts still aren’t sure how the sea lion ended up miles from San Diego Bay, but after an entire month of rehabilitation with SeaWorld’s rescue team, vets approved the animal’s return to the ocean.
“This sea lion captured the attention and stole the hearts of Americans nationwide, and SeaWorld is proud to provide a happy ending to this story,” a spokesperson for SeaWorld told SWNS.
The sea lion waddled back into the ocean earlier this month and quickly took to the water upon his release.
This particular sea lion had been tagged before the January rescue mission as he had shown up in strange locations since early November 2021.
“SeaWorld San Diego has spent years rescuing, rehabilitating, and returning animals in need and will continue to act quickly when alerted to animals in distress and in need of help,” SeaWorld said of their rescue efforts.
source: people.com
