According to the authorities, the sea lion has wondered off more than 1,000 feet away from the ocean and traveled to the place where it was found and rescued. The young male sea lion was found wondering south of the turnoff to the Great Highway by two motorists. Alexandra Picavet, who represents the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said that ranger Matt Wallat noticed the two motorists trying to protect the animal and stopped to see what happened. According to Wallat, he tried to put the sea lion in a bag but the animal resisted and eventually the ranger used some blankets to prevent the animal from biting him. The ranger brought the animal to the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. At the center he chose to name the sea lion Percevero, which means perseverance in Latin. According to the representatives of the Marine Mammal Center, the sea lion is approximately a year and a half and weighs around 30 pounds and was fed and examined by a local veterinarian. The experts say that the rescued young sea lion is linked to a worrying phenomenon that that happened recently, when hundreds of sea lions were washed up along the coast of California. The scientists explain that the young pups are underweight and malnourished and just in the last ten days they rescued more than 100 of them. They say that it’s not normal for so many pups to be found around this area because usually they should be with their mothers in the Channel Islands. The center currently cares for 115 malnourished sea lions and according to reports, the sea lion strandings are happening for three winters now. In 2013, there were more than 1,500 sea lions washed ashore, according to the authorities. No one really knows for sure what causes it, but some researchers assume that the lack of fish forces the sea lions’ mothers to leave their pups in order to go find food. The pups are left to care for themselves but are too young and inexperienced to survive. Image Source: wired