Briefly

A baby female sea lion that for two days has been floating just off

Newport Beach because of illness washed ashore Sunday afternoon,

authorities said.

“It’s been sad. For two days, we have tried to keep people from

running down to see her, and she has been so exhausted,” said Lt. Dave

Wenger, a lifeguard with the Newport Beach Fire and Marine Department.

Friends of the Sea Lions, a nonprofit organization in Laguna Beach

that rescues sick sea lions, took the animal back to its clinic, where it

will be treated and later released back into the ocean. The clinic now

houses 14 animals.

“These poor little sea lions, they get so sick and exhausted, they

finally just have to come ashore,” Wenger said. “But at least she was

saved, so that is a happy thing.”

The Friends of the Sea Lions clinic, 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, is

open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The public is invited to visit the

sick animals. For information, call (949) 494-3050.