A , several kilometres from its ocean home, last weekend was back causing traffic delays Friday on the busy highway.
The big pinniped, believed to weigh between 300 and 400 pounds, emerged from Kennedy Lake and stayed on the highway for several hours on Dec. 29 before it was coaxed back into the lake by fisheries and conservation officers.
But the animal has since returned, according to Paul Cottrell, head of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans marine mammal unit.
The sea lion on the highway poses a “significant risk” to both animal and drivers, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
Cottrell said Friday afternoon he was working with fisheries and conservation officers. He said in a brief statement the sea lion was no longer on the roadway and was moving back to the lake.
“We have a live transport trailer on site if the animal shows up again,” he said.
That means it could either be darted or coaxed into the trailer and taken back to the ocean.
Cottrell said earlier this week that the sea lion likely followed fish up the Kennedy River from the ocean and got disoriented when it got to Kennedy Lake. The sea lion likely emerged at a boat launch near the highway thinking it was a way back to the ocean, he said.
However, finding its way back to the Kennedy River and into the ocean environment again might prove a challenge for the sea lion. Kennedy Lake has a surface area of 16,000 acres, making it the largest lake on Vancouver Island.
It consists of two basins: the main arm and the Clayoquot Arm. The lake’s outflow is through a short stretch of the Kennedy River into Tofino Inlet.
Anyone who spots the sea lion, or any marine mammal in distress, should report it to DFO’s 24-hour hotline at 1-800-465-4336.
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