Sea Lion Rescued After Crossing 101

A sea lion is being treated at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County this morning after crossing a highway in Burlingame, a spokesman for the center said.

Animal rescuers received reports shortly before 7 a.m. this morning that a sea lion had crossed the north and southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101 in Burlingame near the Broadway off-ramp and had come to a stop in a ditch off the side of the road, spokesman Jim Oswald said.

The California Highway Patrol closed the off-ramp for about two hours and CHP officers, along with Burlingame police and personnel from the Peninsula Humane Society, kept watch over the animal while volunteer animal rescue crews responded.

It was not immediately clear how the animal came to be on the highway, although Oswald said there is a lagoon area nearby where the animal most likely came ashore.

The roughly 150-pound sea lion, whose sex was undetermined, was taken to the center to be examined and Oswald said the animal suffered trauma to its jaw.

The extent of injuries was not known. The animal is currently undergoing an extensive examination at the center, according to Oswald.

"The animal is going to be in good hands," he said.