By Anthony J. Cerretani
February 11, 2004
1. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) handled an unusual kind
of traffic obstruction Monday morning, as a 300-pound sea lion was found alongside
a road in Merced County, over 65 miles from the California coast, and about
a mile from the nearest source of water.
2. While officials are uncertain exactly how the animal was able to get so far
from shore, Kathy Zagzebski, a project manager with the Marine Mammal Center,
told The Los Angles Times that sea lions occasionally move their way up rivers
from the ocean following schools of fish.
3. "The most likely course of travel was down the San Joaquin River from
the San Francisco Bay Area," said Shelbi Stout, Assistant Manager of Stranding
with the Marine Mammal Center, who coordinated the effort from the organizations
office in Sausalito.
4. While CHP officers waited for members of the Moss Landing, California-based
Mammal Rescue Center and experts from the Department of Fish and Game to arrive,
the sea lion climbed up onto one of the CHPs patrol cars for a nap.
5. "He just sat there, sunning himself," Officer Mike Panelli told
the San Francisco Chronicle.
6. "If any officers got too close, he sort of growled at them."
7. When rescuers approached the animal (dubbed "Chippy," by Panelli),
he reportedly jumped from the car, bared his teeth and attempted to escape.
8. The rescuers were then able to harness the sea lion in a net and put him
in a stainless steel cage.
9. Six people were required to carry the sea lion to the vehicle, in which he
was transported to Sausalito.
10. "He's pretty big," Zagzebski told the L.A. Times.
11. "We had 10 volunteers and a truck.
12. It was a lot of work."
13. This is not the first time a sea lion has strayed from the San Francisco
Bay, but its journey is one of the furthest, according to Stoudt.
14. "Its not unheard of, but its uncommon," she said.
15. According to Stoudt, sea lions have wandered as far as Sacramento and the
Stockton area in California.
16. Usually, it's the younger males that wander, and they've taken virtually
every waterway connected to the San Francisco Bay.
17. Sometimes it's to follow a food source, but it's basically curiosity.
18. As of Tuesday afternoon, the sea lion was resting at the Marine Mammal Center
in Sausalito and was not accepting food.
19. A veterinary exam will be done within the next day or two to check for internal
injuries.
20. The animal's release will depend on if it's suffering from a disease.
21. She added that cancer, lungworm infections, neurological diseases, and even
gunshot wounds are just a few of the ailments that cannot be determined externally.
ESL 970G Advanced Grammar Review and Editing | Marsha Chan | Mission College | AngelLearning