Baby sea lion wanders onto 101, gets rescued by CHP

A wayward young sea lion was found on Highway 101 in South San Francisco on April 30, 2019. The little guy was rescued safely. A wayward young sea lion was found on Highway 101 in South San Francisco on April 30, 2019. The little guy was rescued safely. Photo: CHP San Francisco Photo: CHP San Francisco Image 1 of / 34 Caption Close Baby sea lion wanders onto 101, gets rescued by CHP 1 / 34 Back to Gallery

A baby sea lion, perhaps in pursuit of pancakes at a nearby Denny's, wandered onto Highway 101 in South San Francisco Tuesday morning before being corralled to safety.

CHP received a call at 8:34 a.m. that a marine mammal was on 101 North near South Airport Boulevard, stopping multiple vehicles as alarmed motorists tried to shoo the sea lion to safety. With one car putting on its flashers to warn oncoming traffic, another man got out of his car to try to "herd the mammal with a handkerchief."

Unsurprisingly, this well-intentioned maneuver did not work. The determined little critter soldiered on.

Within minutes, CHP had arrived on the scene and took over the task of getting the sea lion off the road. Video taken by KGO shows the wayward sea lion bobbing its head in the back of a CHP patrol vehicle, the world's cutest perp, while a bemused officer looks on.

Sea lion spotted on Highway 101 south of #SFO just now. Video from SKY7 shows him safely in backseat of a #CHP patrol car. pic.twitter.com/eIF2beKAPQ — Mike Nicco (@MikeNiccoABC7) April 30, 2019

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After getting the animal safely off the road, it was transported to the Peninsula Humane Society. It's likely the sea lion came from the nearby Colma Creek, which connects up with the bay.

"Today's rescue of a California sea lion is a great example of the importance of members of the public giving our rescue hotline a call to report a marine mammal in distress," said Dr. Cara Field, staff veterinarian at the Marine Mammal Center. "This action allows our expert veterinary team to provide immediate supportive care and give this sea lion a second chance at life."

A trained responder from the Marine Mammal Center will be transporting the sea lion to their center in Sausalito where it will be assessed by veterinarians. After a full medical, it will move to a rehabilitation pool pen to continue treatment and recovery.