Rescuers searching for sea lion that repeatedly wandered onto highway

Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Marine rescuers on British Columbia's Vancouver Island are attempting to locate a wayward sea lion that has repeatedly wandered onto a busy highway far from its normal habitat.

The male sea lion was first spotted on Highway 4, between Port Alberni and Ucluelet, on Dec. 4, and researchers theorized it must have followed the Kennedy River from the ocean to nearby Kennedy Lake.

The sea lion was given a police escort back to the lake, but has made multiple repeat visits to the highway.

"It's really dangerous," Paul Cottrell with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada told CTV News. "You can imagine a 300-pound dark animal on a highway. And the animal has been coming out of the water at nighttime on Friday and Saturday."

The sea lion was last seen in the area on Saturday, and a Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society team attempted unsuccessfully to locate and sedate the animal on Sunday.

Martin Haulena, executive director and head veterinarian at VAMMRS, said he is concerned the sea lion might be suffering from a neurological problem.

"Ideally, what I'd like to do is bring this animal back to the rescue facility and have a good look at him. I'm not convinced 100% that he is perfectly normal," Haulena told The Chilliwack Progress. "But if we can't get him back safely here, relocation is still a possibility. I'll leave that up to DFO."

Cottrell said the sea lion is likely also struggling to find food so far from the ocean.

"There is indication the body condition is deteriorating over time. There's likely not a lot of prey for the animal in Kennedy Lake," Cottrell said.