Sea lion pup recovering after ‘miraculously’ surviving 30-foot drop from bridge over highway in Laguna Beach

A sea lion is recovering after a 30-foot fall from a pedestrian bridge over South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, officials said.

The 33-pound pup crawled along an incline and climbed the stairs leading to the bridge near Aliso Beach at around 6:30 p.m. Monday, according to Laguna Beach Animal Control.

The animal ended up on a wall, where it sat for about 40 minutes, Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jim Cota said on Twitter.

The Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, which rescues and rehabilitates aquatic animals, said it promptly sent personnel to the location after city officials contacted them. But as the rescue team arrived, the sea lion dropped onto the shoulder of the northbound highway.

Bushes and branches broke its fall and the sea lion “miraculously survived,” the center wrote in a Facebook post.

“Laguna Beach locals stuck with the animal on PCH until our team could reposition and capture the animal safely,” according to the post.

Animal-control officials also helped the sea lion as police redirected traffic, PMMC said.

The sea lion eventually was taken to the center’s Laguna Canyon facility, where radiographs revealed no apparent fractures or internal injuries, the organization said. The animal’s caretakers called it “Lords-a-Leaping.”

“This is one of the craziest rescues we’ve had,” Peter Chang, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center’s chief executive, said in an email. “We’ve seen them on porches, on people’s houses, public restrooms, on the streets, but to have one on a pedestrian bridge 30 feet high ... .”

The group suspects the sea lion, which was emaciated and dehydrated, might have been seeking shelter and trying to stay warm.

Chang said Thursday that the sea lion has “a bit a ways” to go before being released.

“Pups usually stay with us anywhere from two to four months, depending on how well they progressed throughout medical care,” Chang said.

Animals must meet a weight threshold that the center thinks will enable them to survive on their own. “We need them fat and plump,” Chang said.

They also have to able to catch fish on their own. “We have this fish school and they go through about six stages. The first is tube feeding, all the way up to competitive eating. ... The animal has a ways to go, but early signs are good. We’re optimistic,” Chang said.

Lilly Nguyen is a Daily Pilot staff writer. City News Service contributed to this report.

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