Nov 19, 2007 9:08 pm US/Pacific
Surly Sea Lion Caught In Newport Beach
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) ―
Animal rescuers have caught a stubborn sea lion that wandered into a popular tourist spot in Newport Beach and refused to be lured back to the ocean.
"We were out there for about three hours," said Kirsten Sedlick, part of the crew with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.
The animal was spotted on the shore at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina Monday afternoon before being caught.
Sedlick said she and other rescuers lured the sea lion onto the shore with a herring, then bagged him with two nets and hustled him into a "kennel."
"It was little unusual of rescue since he was a previous patient," Sedlick said.
The sea lion is nicknamed "Captain Hook" because of the roughly 40 fish hooks stuck to its mouth, flippers, chest and ears when it was first rescued Oct. 28.
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