A sea lion wandering onto Highway 4 near Tofino caused temporary traffic disruptions. The unusual incident saw the animal, likely venturing from Kennedy Lake, spend several hours on the roadway before eventually returning to its natural habitat.
When Douw Hattingh rounded the bend on Kennedy Lake on Sunday morning, he was treated to the sight of a sea lion causing traffic delays on Highway 4. Initially we thought it was an accident, so we slowed down and then came around the corner and we were surprised to see a sea lion the highway, said Hattingh.
The Nanoose Bay resident had been in Tofino for a weekend getaway with friends and was driving back east when they came across the curious sight of Tofino RCMP officers diverting traffic around a sea lion that had made its way onto Highway 4 several kilometres away from the ocean. There’s no cellular phone reception at that stretch of Highway 4, so someone must have seen the sea lion and driven towards Tofino to call it in, said Hattingh. He must have come up Kennedy river hunting, or whatever they were doing and then ended up in the lake, he said. As they drove past the sea lion on the highway shoulder, Hattingh took out his phone to record the moment. It was the highlight of his trip, he said. I wish we stayed to see what happened, but you don’t want to back traffic up. There were just a few cars lining up on the road in either direction at the time he went past the sea lion around 10 a.m., Hattingh said. DriveBC is not warning of any travel delays on Highway 4, but a temporary road sign has been erected on a section of Highway 4 at a spot about 40 kilometres east of Tofino, according to its website. Paul Cottrell, head of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans marine mammal unit, told CHEK News that the sea lion eventually went back to Kennedy Lake after a few hours hanging out on the highway. DFO officers in Tofino were preparing to move the sea lion if it didn’t move on its own. Anyone concerned about a marine mammal can call the B.C. marine mammal response network at 1-800-465-4336. Or email or go to VHF radio, channel 16
SEALION HIGHWAY 4 TOFINO TRAFFIC DELAYS MARINE MAMMAL
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