A sea lion named Roscoe that Pacific Marine Mammal Center employees nursed back to health was seen off the Newport Beach coast and is making progress, the Laguna Beach-based center reported in a news release.
Rescue teams spotted Roscoe, who was originally stranded in Newport Beach, and checked his body weight. He was one of four sea lions who had a satellite tag so mammal center staff could track his status in the ocean.
"We were pleased to see Roscoe doing so well in the wild," executive director Keith Matassa said in the release. "He's been on his own now for a few months, and the fact that he looks healthy and has a good weight indicates that he is doing well out there and that our efforts are allowing him to be successful."
Roscoe is one of several hundred sea lion pups stranded on Orange County beaches since January, many of them dehydrated and malnourished.