PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A sea lion attracted a crowd as it rested for hours on McCormick Pier in Northwest Portland, a relatively unusual sight.
“I haven’t really heard of any sea lions resting on docks or other structures in downtown Portland area,” said Robin Brown with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Perry Leonard, who is visiting Portland from San Diego, said the sea lions ar “taking over a lot of the harbors and boat docks” there.
Neighbors in the area worried the sea lion may be sick since it was barking non-stop, but Brown said that is normal behavior for sea lions at this time of year.
While sea lions travel the Columbia and Willamette rivers regularly, they don’t often climb on the docks in Portland. That’s because there is not a large food supply here and sea lions avoid busy areas unless they know there’s an easy meal available.
“Being around people doesn’t bother them at all if they have a reason to be there,” Brown said.
The sea lion population in California jumped from 25,000 in the 1960s to more than 300,000 now. Officials said there are more sea lions in the Willamette River than normal.
But this guy likely just found an easy meal in an unusual spot and decided to rest.