Seal crossing stops Highway 37 traffic

 

A lost seal has shut down all eastbound traffic on state Highway 37 in Sonoma County this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The animal was first spotted on Highway 37 near the intersection with state Highway 121 at 9:42 a.m. and was trying to cross the road.

A man got out of his car and was trying to chase the seal down, according to the CHP. The seal was ushered back to the right shoulder and traffic resumed, though the animal keeps trying to cross the highway.

Representatives of the Marine Mammal Center are on their way to assist, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said.

Barclay wasn’t sure right away if the perplexed pinniped is a seal or sea lion, but said in the past, animals trying to cross that stretch of highway have been elephant seals.

A pregnant elephant seal, later dubbed “Tolay” by the Marine Mammal Center, backed up traffic in the same area of Highway 37 during two days in late December when it repeatedly tried to cross the roadway.

Another seal was spotted near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in Marin County on Friday afternoon. Multiple vehicles stopped and apparently ushered the seal back into the Bay.