Franklin the Confused Sea Lion Caught and Relocated, Yet Again

Franklin the wayward sea lion, who had been caught and then relocated after being discovered hanging out in San Diego Creek in Irvine back on Aug. 6, was released on Friday, Aug. 24, after having being caught again in the same vicinity last Monday.

This marks the third time that Franklin had to be captured and relocated. He had previously been through the catch-and-release routine initially on Aug. 4, but he again found his way about five miles inland up the creek two days later. After his second capture, he was released off of San Onofre State Beach (see video).

But Franklin popped up again last Monday in the area of the creek, which feeds into Newport Bay. After being captured again, the 500-pound sea lion was taken to Laguna Beach's Pacific Marine Mammal Center and looked after for several days, says PMMC director of development Melissa Sciacca.

"This time, we relocated him by boat," Sciacca tells Patch. "He's perfectly healthy, he just seems to be a little disoriented. We put him on a Coast Guard boat and they took him to Catalina, where the fish is pretty easy for him to catch. It's a way to encourage him to stay in his area."