OB Riddle: Why did the baby sea lion cross the road?

Wayward sea lion pup growls at rescurer. All photos by Jim Grant.

What’s the answer?  SeaWorld may know.

A SeaWorld rescue squad was called out to OB this morning (May 5) to capture a baby sea lion that had wandered onto Abbott Street during the early hours of the morning.

As a police officer tried to steer it back towards the ocean, it crawled underneath his car. A SeaWorld net captured the pup.

Locals cheered. Local media was all over the story. It was the big tip of the day.

As always, local photographer Jim Grant was also all over it. These are his pics.

Here’s the signonsandiego report by Debbi Baker of the U-T:

A baby California sea lion created quite a spectacle in Ocean Beach on Wednesday morning after it crawled under a San Diego police patrol car parked on a city street and refused to budge.

Officers were called to Abbott Street near Newport Avenue about 4 a.m. after getting a call that the pup was crossing the street and could possibly be in peril, said San Diego police Sgt. Jack Knish.

Officers responded and one of them parked his car in the middle of the road and went to investigate. The pup had been under another vehicle, and then minutes later it “just sauntered under the patrol car,” Knish said.

Go here for the remainder of the article.

So, have there been an unusually high number of sea lions being found on our beaches of late?  A fellow blogger said she has seen two down around Dog Beach on the shore and I saw one back near the Pier on the 20th of April. And now this one. I have calls into SeaWorld and Debbi Baker who wrote the U-T piece. But she reported:

Wandering pinnipeds are usually found on the sand, but SeaWorld crews have picked them up from backyards, garages and even public restrooms. …

SeaWorld has rescued 101 seals and sea lions so far this year, and more than 50 have already been released.