Sea lion takes ‘wrong turn,’ ends up trapped in Vacaville spillway

A wayward California sea lion apparently stuck in a concrete spillway on the edge of farmland in Vacaville, far from its regular waters, prompted a rescue effort by animal experts Tuesday.

But they had to call it quits for the evening when darkness fell and the sea lion, believed to be a large young adult male, holed up in a drainage pipe off the spillway, which is located off Leisure Town Road, a stretch that connects farmland and a residential neighborhood in Vacaville.

The Marine Mammal Center, the Sausalito-based nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates marine mammals, sent a team of 13 experts to assess the animal, said Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Center.

Though the rescue team tried to flush the animal out of the pipe with water and coax it back into the spillway with air horn blasts, he refused to move as darkness fell, and rescuers were set to resume their efforts in the morning.

A sea lion stuck in a concrete canal in Vacaville called for a rescue team from the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center to evaluate the animal. A sea lion stuck in a concrete canal in Vacaville called for a rescue team from the Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center to evaluate the animal. Photo: Vacaville Crime & Community Info / Vacaville Crime & Community Info Photo: Vacaville Crime & Community Info / Vacaville Crime & Community Info Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Sea lion takes ‘wrong turn,’ ends up trapped in Vacaville spillway 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

Scientists believe the animal likely swam up the Sacramento River and then “took a wrong turn” through a series of connected agricultural ditches and waterways to the spot where it was stranded.

It’s not clear when the animal arrived in the canal, and the center first recieved reports from local authorities around 10 a.m.

“It’s far away from a main source of water,” Rulli said. “It’s traveled a fair distance, and it’s a rare rescue location. This is not a normal area.”

The sea lion appeared to be in good health, with plenty of body fat and no obvious injuries.

Options for rescuing the animal include netting the sea lion or sedating the animal before capturing it.

If rescued, the sea lion would be transported back to mammal center Sausalito headquarters to undergo tests for malnourishment, wounds and acid toxicity, among other possible ailments.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley