Sea lion stranded along Berkeley shore released back into wild

A disoriented sea lion discovered Saturday evening stranded in brush along a stretch of East Bay shoreline was in good condition and later released, a Marine Mammal Center spokesman said Monday.

The female sea lion was spotted near McLaughlin Eastshore State Park about 7 p.m.

The animal had somehow meandered inland and was surrounded by vegetation that blocked its view of the water, center spokesman Giancarlo Rulli said.

Fortunately, it didn’t make it as far as the frontage road, Rulli said.

With help from East Bay Regional Park District police officers, marine mammal staff loaded the animal into a rescue truck. It was later released near Fort Baker, according to Rulli.

Anyone who spots a marine mammal in distress is urged to call the Marine Mammal Center’s hotline at (415) 289-SEAL (7325). For more information, people can visit the center’s site at http://www.marinemammalcenter.org.