Watch CBS News

Hungry Sea Lion Pup Makes Her Way Into Fancy Restaurant

SAN DIEGO (CBS/AP) — A starving sea lion has been rescued after finding its way into the booth of a fancy San Diego restaurant.

The pup was discovered on Thursday by Bernard Guillas, executive chef at The Marine Room, an oceanfront restaurant in La Jolla. "He was a little bit early for his high tide breakfast reservation," Guillas joked on Facebook.

I found a new friend in the The Marine Room restaurant this morning ????‍????????she was a little bit early for High Tide Breakfast ????

Posted by Bernard Guillas on Thursday, February 4, 2016

Experts at SeaWorld were called promptly called to the restaurant and found the 8-month-old female pup asleep in a dining booth.

The pup was severely underweight and dehydrated and was taken to SeaWorld's Animal Rescue Center, where experts are cautiously optimistic about her recovery.

There's been a surge in sea lion mortality over the past year, with marine biologists collecting thousands of sick, starving, stranded or dead pups. So far this year, SeaWorld has rescued 47 sea lions and other marine mammals.

Scientists say the animals' food supply has been affected by higher-than-normal ocean temperatures linked to El Nino.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.