The sea lion pup who became a celebrity after wandering into a famed La Jolla restaurant and plopping herself into a booth was to be returned to her ocean home today, April 5.
Marina was about 8 months old when she sneaked into the iconic Marine Room and was taking a nap when restaurant employees found her Feb. 4.
She was malnourished and dehydrated and weighed 20 pounds, half the size of a pup her age. She also had an injury to her left eye, which was swollen shut, SeaWorld San Diego officials added. After two months’ rehabilitation, the pup has gained more than 25 pounds and has shown she can seek and obtain food on her own.
The pup and several other rescued sea lions was to be taken several miles out to sea, where they will be released. Sightings of malnourished sea lion pups have been especially frequent along the California coast for about six months. Officials say their mothers are abandoning them in search of food, which is often unsuccessful in California’s unusually warm waters.