A disoriented Steller sea lion was rescued by officials recently after wandering the streets of the small Alaskan town of Sitka for four days.
The chief of the Sitka Volunteer Fire Department told the Anchorage Daily News that the endangered animal was first spotted early in the morning of Friday, August 31st, by Eric Radziukinas, a hospital staff member at the Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital.
From that moment, several crews in Sitka had their hands full as they tried to get the adult male sea lion back into the water. In the afternoon on Monday, September 3rd, attempts were finally successful.
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On Sunday afternoon, the sea lion was hiding in a wooded area, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials. The public was asked to avoid the area near Airport Road to eliminate any additional stress the large crowds could put on the sea lion as well as for their own safety.
NOAA Alaska region spokeswoman Julie Speegle released a statement saying the mammal was most probably exhausted, dehydrated and starving. She said the agency's best guess is that the sea lion could not see the ocean and was unable to find his way back on his own. He ended up retreating to the woods after the fire department sprayed him with their fire hose. Speegle said they had him going in the right direction but then he deviated into the woods.