A sea lion pup trying to cross traffic lanes on the northbound 710 Freeway in Long Beach was rescued by a good Samaritan and California Highway Patrol officers last week.

At around 2 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, a man driving on the freeway reported seeing the animal near the grass area of the offramp near Willow Street, CHP Officer Adam Phillipson said. The caller stopped near the sea lion pup, trying to stop the animal from going into traffic lanes, he said.

“The little guy was just trying to cross the road,” Phillipson said. “It’s unknown the reason why.”

Phillipson and other officers blocked off traffic lanes to protect the animal and themselves as they attempted to rescue the pup, he said.

Luckily, the sea lion was cooperative.

“(The sea lion) seemed to come right over to us,” Phillipson said. “(It) couldn’t get up to the patrol car (itself).”

The pup wiggled its way underneath the patrol car, as CHP officers used a dog snare – a stick with a lanyard at the end – to control the animal. Then, officers helped the sea lion pup shimmy onto a blanket, Phillipson said.

“Using three of the officers, we each grabbed a corner and hoisted the sea lion into the patrol car,” he said. “Then, at that point, this little guy seemed pretty content.”

The sea lion pup started to lick itself and looked curiously around the patrol car, Phillipson said.

Eventually, the CHP officers transferred the sea lion pup to Long Beach Animal Control.

Soon after, the pup was taken to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro. The Center said the animal, which it identified as female, was safe and in good hands, according to a Sunday post on the rescue’s Facebook page.

It’s unclear how the sea lion pup got onto the freeway.

In Phillipson’s seven years as a CHP officer, he said this incident was a first for him.

“We’ve had all sorts of things,” he said. “We’ve had horses, coyotes – but this is my first marine life. My first sea lion.”