Baby sea lions are cute, but this baby sea lion getting ready for brunch at an upscale restaurant will blow all the other ones out of the water.
An adorable sea lion pup recently made a VIP reservation at a fancy seafood restaurant in San Diego, California. On Thursday morning, the 20-pound sea lion made its way down to The Marine Room and propped itself up at one of the dining tables. The hungry sea lion then waddled around the restaurant posing for pictures and entertaining delighted guests.
Bernard Guillas, executive chef of the restaurant, was pleasantly surprised by his guest’s arrival and snapped a few photos of the pup. He uploaded the pictures on Facebook along with the following caption:
“He was a little bit early for his high tide breakfast reservation as it is this weekend on Sunday and Monday.”
Warming water temperatures and El Niño may be affecting California’s seal and sea lion populations. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, rising water temperatures in the ocean have forced mother sea lions to hunt farther out for food. The pups who depend on their mothers for milk are therefore left for longer periods of time. This particular pup is under the average weight, which is roughly 38 pounds, for baby sea lions.
The Marine Room then contacted a Sea World San Diego team to come and care for the pup. CBS News reported that the team has rescued more than 47 sea lions this year alone and will make sure that the baby sea lion will be properly rehabilitated. SeaWorld wrote:
“We hope to get her rehabilitated and back out into the wild. She’s getting lots of fluids.”
