Tiny sea lion, party of one. A 20-pound sea lion pup
was found sleeping in a booth at a popular seaside restaurant in
San Diego, likely searching for a cozy nook and, fittingly, a bite
to eat.
SeaWorld San Diego’s Rescue Team was called to The
Marine Room restaurant on Spindrift Drive in La Jolla Thursday
after staffers found the young sea lion curled up in a booth in the
dining room, sleeping.
Somehow, the pup got into the dining hotspot and made
his way into a booth with a scenic view of the beach below.
Management wasn’t sure how the sea lion snuck in, but it appears he
spent the night inside the restaurant.
The Marine Room's executive chef, Bernard
Guillas, shared some photos
of the whiskered patron on his Facebook page. In one of the images,
also seen in the gallery below, the sea lion looks as if she's
longingly staring at the sea below the restaurant.
As of Friday morning, Guillas' post had been shared
more than 1,600 times on Facebook and had nearly 3,700 "likes."
SeaWorld rescuers were able to safely corral the
8-month-old California sea lion and take her to their Animal Rescue
Center. There, caregivers determined the pup was extremely
malnourished and dehydrated.
Jody Westberg, a SeaWorld Rescue Team member, said her
team considers the sea lion a “micropup” due to her small size and
low weight.
“She weighs 20 pounds, but should be about 40 to 50
pounds out in the wild,” Westberg explained.
She said SeaWorld San Diego has been handling many
unusual sea lion rescues lately in part due to recent El Niño
weather conditions.
“Southern California, and specifically San Diego
County, has been having very high tides and very low tides, and
also a lot of stormy weather. These pups are looking for high
ground and warm areas for the night,” she said.
“Not only are they looking for high ground – they’re
also searching for food,” she added.
She said an ongoing “unusual mortality event” is also
heavily affecting the California sea lion population throughout the
state. Because sea lions are having a hard time finding food
sources, many wind up emaciated. The fish they typically eat in the
wild keep the animals hydrated but without fish to eat, dehydration
is common.
At SeaWorld San Diego’s Animal Rescue Center, the tiny
pup was given fluids to rehydrate.
Animal experts were also keeping a close watch on the pup’s left
eye, which remained shut and had some drainage coming out of
it.
With proper care and nutrition, Westberg said the
rescue team is “cautiously optimistic” the pup will be nursed back
to health and eventually returned to the wild.