Sea lion forsakes ocean for trip to farm

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 Posted: 3:35 PM EST (2035 GMT)

A sea lion basks in the sun on the back of a California Highway Patrol car Monday on a rural road in Los Banos, California.

LOS BANOS, California (AP) -- A sea lion that apparently swam upriver from the ocean into the inland canals of central California was captured after motorists spotted it flopping along the roadway, 65 miles (105 kilometers) from the sea.

The 300-pound (135-kilogram) animal, first reported Monday morning, basked in the sun on the back of a highway patrol cruiser while officers waited for a marine rescue team to fetch him.


(In Los Banos? Like, los baños?)