LA JOLLA (CBS8) - SeaWorld swooped in to save a baby elephant seal that wandered off the beach and made it all the way up to Nautilus Place and Neptune Street.
The little guy became the main tourist attraction in La Jolla Tuesday night, parking himself in a parking space. Witnesses say he made his way up a small cliff from the coast, and about 50 yards down the street, even crossing the street a few times. Katie Hill told News 8, "He was moving pretty fast on the sand. He came up here, we tried to form a circle around him to keep the cars back. It was pretty crazy." Police were called to protect the animal and direct traffic until a SeaWorld Rescue Team arrived.
Stephanie Robbins, an Animal Care Specialist at SeaWorld, said the animal has been stranded before, after seeing the bright orange tag on his tail. She believes he might have been released earlier this week, but won't know for certain until they take him back and process him again. "He looks healthy, you can't see his ribs or anything like that. He just lost his way. So we'll take him back, try again, and release him a little farther out this time."
Elephant seals are the largest of all seals. SeaWorld says they're typically found off Coronado, but are not nearly as common as harbor seals and sea lions off San Diego's coast.
