'Wasn't in any hurry': Sea lion wanders back to water after stopping traffic on B.C. highway

An RCMP officer found himself in a lengthy, head-scratching standoff on a Vancouver Island highway over the weekend after a sea lion somehow made its way onto the road.

Const. Michael MacDonnell had just started his shift Sunday morning when he got a call reporting that the large marine mammal was "impeding traffic," he told CTV News. While reports of deer or bears on the roads are common, he said, this wildlife-related call stood out for its sheer "weirdness."

When he arrived at the scene on the Pacific Rim Highway near Kennedy Lake outside of Tofino, he found the sea lion on the side of the road and used his cruiser to shield it from traffic.

"It started to chase me and bark at me. And I don't know if those things bite or if it hurts when they bite, but I wasn't willing to find out. So, I just gave it distance," MacDonnell said.

"Eventually it got curious and wandered back down the road towards where the water was. It took about an hour and a half. It wasn't quick, it wasn't in any hurry."

Perhaps what was most puzzling, MacDonnell said, was the question of how and why the sea lion ended up on a stretch of road so far from the water. While the nearby lake is visible from the tree-lined highway where the animal was found, it's not exactly accessible.

"It was a very steep embankment on the side of the road, so it wouldn't have been able to climb up that, and it really couldn't get back into the lake, down that embankment, because it would just hurt itself as it fell down," MacDonnell said.

"It must have walked at least half a kilometre. I don't think they walk, but they waddle."

This photo shows a sea lion on a Vancouver Island highway on Dec. 29, 2024. (Submitted by Michael MacDonnell)

Paul Cottrell, marine mammal co-ordinator for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, says it's likely the sea lion likely left the ocean – possibly in pursuit of food – travelled through a river and ended up in Kennedy Lake where it became disoriented.

"This is a big animal. And obviously the animal's out of habitat, it's disturbed in terms of not knowing where it is and trying to get to the ocean and going the wrong way. It was quite something to see," he said.

The situation, Cottrell said, was potentially very dangerous for the sea lion and the people driving down the road and it was fortunate that there weren't any crashes or injuries. While a crew was prepared to tranquilize the sea lion and transport it, that wasn't necessary.

"The animal just decided on its own to do a big beeline back to the lake," he said, adding that the DFO hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the sea lion's return.

"We're hoping for the best with this. And we are planning contingencies depending on where the animal shows up. Hopefully we don't see it again, it ends up back in the ocean on its own."

 

 

 

 

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The strange sea lion sighting was reminiscent of one almost exactly five years ago, where a sea lion ended up in a pond on a property on the Sunshine Coast. That animal – nicknamed James Pond – even wandered up onto the owner's deck on Christmas Eve.

"His poor dog would not go outside, and this sea lion was looking in his window," Cottrell says, recalling that situation, while adding the sea lion on the highway was "much farther" from the ocean than James Pond.

While the incident on the highway ended without the need for intervention, Cottrell said it's crucial that people keep their distance and report "unique" sightings like these to the experts so they can be safely resolved.