Why did the sea lion cross the road? To get to the other tide.
A joke? It really happened. Motorists driving northbound on Highway 101 Wednesday night saw an unusual sight: a sea lion pup wandering around the roadway on the Candlestick Point exit in San Francisco.
After dispatchers received a 911 call at about 9:45 p.m., CHP officers reported, they raced out to the pinniped predicament. The driver who phoned it in was able to avoid hitting the misled marine mammal, but told police other cars could have.
With the help of the motorist, officers guided the sea lion pup back toward the road’s edge and then through a gap in the retaining wall, where it eventually made its way back into San Francisco Bay unhurt for a happy ending.
Sea lions are a common marine mammal in Northern California, ranging from Mexico to Alaska. The playful animals, which can grow to 7 feet long and 700 pounds, delight tourists at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and other oceanfront locations, while sometimes competing with salmon fishermen for valuable catches.
Thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, signed by former President Richard Nixon, which makes it illegal to hunt, kill, injure or harass any marine mammal, including whales, sea lions, seals, dolphins and sea otters, their population along the West Coast has more than has tripled since the 1970s to roughly 250,000 today.
So popular are the frolicking ocean critters, which can reach 7 feet long and 700 pounds, that the San Francisco Giants in 1996 dumped their previous mascot, Crazy Crab, in favor of Lou Seal, a fan favorite. The Giants called Candlestick Point home from 1960 to 1999, before moving 5 miles north to Pacific Bell (now Oracle) Park in 2000. Candlestick Park was demolished in 2015, and has been planned in recent years for housing developments.
This week is not the first time that a sea lion has wandered onto Highway 101 in that area. In 2019, a sea lion wandered onto the road near South Airport Boulevard. Motorists dialed 911.
When officers pulled up and opened the back door of a CHP patrol car, the sea lion “jumped right in,” CHP Officer Bert Diaz said at the time.
“It’s almost like he knew we were there to help,” Diaz said. “It made it easy for our officers.”
In that incident, the animal was taken to the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County afterward for a checkup.
“CHP officers are always ready and willing to ensure safety, service, and security to all,” the agency said in a statement, “including those with flippers and even lost members of Lou Seal’s family.”
A sea lion pup wandered onto the road at the Candlestick Point exit off northbound Highway 101 on Wednesday Feb. 12, 2025. The animal was rescued by motorists and CHP officers and put back in San Francisco Bay unharmed. (Photo: CHP)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 13: Mascot Lou Seal holds up a sign as the San Francisco Giants celebrate their 9-1 MLB win over the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. The Giants clinched their first postseason playoff spot since 2016. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
