Watch: Wayward sea lion finds itself in the middle of the road during downpour in Washington state
Police said the sea lion likely ventured from a neighboring river to the street during the powerful atmospheric river that soaked the Northwest.
Lost sea lion blocks the road in Cosmopolis, Washington
A wayward sea lion ventured onto a public roadway from a neighboring river, and was found by an officer from the Cosmopolis Police Department.
COSMOPOLIS, Washington – What do you call a sea lion in the middle of the road?
The Cosmopolis Police Department in Washington state responded to an odd call this week that admittedly wasn't even on their bingo card this year.
A wayward sea lion ventured slightly off the beaten path and found itself in the middle of Blue Slough Road, in Cosmopolis, Washington, a small town roughly 100 miles southwest of Seattle.
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A wayward sea lion found itself in the middle of Blue Slough Road in Cosmopolis, Washington.
(Heath Layman, Cosmopolis Police Department / FOX Weather)
Police said the sea lion likely ventured from a neighboring river to the street during the powerful atmospheric river that soaked the Northwest.
In proximity to where the sea lion was found blocking traffic lies the Chehalis River, a 115-mile-long river that empties into Gray's Harbor, an estuary of the Pacific Ocean.
Chief of Police Heath Layman from the Cosmopolis Police Department pulled over to protect the living road block from other vehicular travelers and snapped a few photographs of the lost sea lion.
Posed in a perfect position, the "roadway" model didn't turn down its big opportunity when the cameras came out.
(Heath Layman/ Cosmopolis Police Department)
Chief Layman said in his 30 years with the department he has never seen a sea lion venture onto the roadway, which he estimated is about 200 yards from the river.
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After a few photographs and a minor traffic jam, the sea lion was assisted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife back to the river.
The road the sea lion was found on neighbors the Chehalis River, which flows into an estuary of the Pacific Ocean.
(Google Earth)
According to Chief Layman, sea lions in the river have increased in the past few years, although they are typically chasing salmon, not lounging on a public roadway.