There’s this young sea lion in San Diego is clocking up the frequent walker miles like crazy. Apparently the adventourous 1 year old sea lion just can’t be kept away from the San Diego beaches and inland walking tours of the beach communities.

He was nabbed Wednesday loitering in the Chevy’s Fresh Mex restaurant parking lot, in the Flower Hill Center near Del Mar, more than a mile from the ocean. And this is his second infraction in less than a month. Last time, he was apprehended in a citizen arrest somewhere in Solana Beach, and sentenced to 20 days hard labor in the SeaWorld San Diego correctional facility for confused young sea lion pups.

Well…actually, he was suffering from dehydration and malnutrition, and also had a bad cough when he was brought to Sea World. After enjoying a relaxing 3 week vacation in the luxury  resort for celeb Sea Lions, he was back in good health, and ejected back in to the wild somewhere off the coast of Mission Bay.

Why he wanted to get back into Sea World can be partly explained if you take a good look at the picture below. If Uma Thurman is handing out hugs, wouldn’t you want to be at the receiving end of a few hugs and kisses?

This time, though, the authorities are still baffled by how he managed to pull off the stunt. He would have had to go up the San Dieguito River, past the DelMar fairgrounds, underneath Interstate 5 and then across Via de la Valle. But to get to the Chevy’s, he still would have had to cross a field and at least skirt another shopping center lot – passing a Burger King and an Albertsons – and then across Via de la Valle, a four-lane thoroughfare. 

No big surprise that our boy is now back in the slammer in Sea World, and will most likely be set free after being kept ‘under observation’ for a suitable period. Through the SeaWorld Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Program, 60 to 70 percent of the 200 or more animals rescued each year are rehabilitated and returned to the wild.

Photo courtesy SeaWorld (www.seaworld.com/).

Posted on March 6th, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: san diego