June Casagrande A large “unlucky bachelor” sea...

June Casagrande

A large “unlucky bachelor” sea lion parking himself periodically

on the beach since Tuesday has prompted lifeguards to warn onlookers

of the dangers of disturbing such a large animal.

“He’s a big boy,” said Lifeguard Lt. Mike Halphide, who estimated

the sea mammal’s weight at between 300 and 400 pounds. “People don’t

realize it’s a safety hazard. They can bite and that would be like

getting bitten by a 300- or 400-pound dog.”

The sea lion was first reported on the beach near 54th Street on

Tuesday. Since then, he has been spotted on the beach on both sides

of the jetty.

“On any given day, there’s one sitting on the shoreline somewhere,

often further down the peninsula, where there are fewer people. This

one’s been hanging out for a few days,” Halphide said.

Though sometimes sick animals will come up on the beach, this one

is not sick -- just lovesick, said Jayme Rogers, a spokeswoman for

the Newport Beach Police Department’s Animal Control division.

Workers for a sea lion rescue organization examined the sea lion and

determined he’s “as healthy as a horse,” she said.

Rogers explained that the sea lion is a younger male who’s not yet

big enough to compete for mates. While larger males this time of year

are off at breeding grounds around Catalina Island, those who weren’t

able to win mates live in a sort of exile, away from the breeding

grounds where they are not welcome.

“He’s just an unlucky bachelor,” Rogers said. “Think of him as

like a 16- or 17-year-old guy who can’t compete yet with the

21-year-olds.”

In the meantime, local authorities are trying to get the word out

that human contact is a bad thing for the animals and particularly

dangerous for humans. While onlookers tend to think of such animals

as beached and sick, the sea lion is actually very mobile and able to

span a large distance in a short time to bite a human if he is so

inclined, Halphide said.

Lifeguards posted a sign near the sea lion notifying any curious

onlookers that state and federal laws prohibit disturbing such

animals. The sea lion was stationed near the sign for at least a few

hours Friday before it loped off again into the ocean.

“He’s very handsome,” Rogers said. “I’m sure he’ll have

girlfriends later in life.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].