Hundreds of sea lions have invaded a roadway near a harbor bridge in a California town, reducing traffic to one lane and raising safety concerns for drivers and visitors.
The sea lions have been appearing in greater numbers, taking over more of the roadway in Moss Landing.
“I hate to see it, but also they’re well-protected, and that might be part of the problem,” Ed Wright said.
One woman, Taniell Liepner, added, “We were talking to the marine wildlife folks, the volunteers and such, and they were saying they’re very social creatures. So two of them started, and now all of a sudden there’s like two to three hundred of them.”
On Monday, county crews briefly cleared the road by cleaning and washing it down, but the sea lions quickly returned.
“They used a shovel to make noise and push them to the other side, and then I come back a half hour later, and here they come again,” Wright said.
California Highway Patrol officers have increased patrols in the area, using sirens to force the sea lions off the road and back into the water. However, the animals continue to return, leading to traffic and safety concerns.
“Keep your distance. Like you were saying, it’s obviously not safe to try to get too close and personal with them, but enjoy them from afar and drive slow as if you’re coming out this way. Just be safe,” Liepner said.
Marine biologists believe the abundance of food in the bay is attracting the sea lions, and the thinking is that the animals will move on when their food source diminishes.
“So that allows business to continue to flow across that bridge. That’s something that would be a really great thing moving forward with kind of an unknown timetable of how long they’ll be in the area,” said Giancarlo Rulli, with the Marine Mammal Center.
Sea lions are federally protected mammals, making it illegal to kill, harass or feed them.
