A 250-pound sea lion has been returned to the sea after being found at the side of a busy road - and experts have no idea how it got there.

The male was shepherded across Route 94 eastbound by passers-by on January 7 in San Diego.

California Highway Patrol was then alerted and staged a rescue with the help of SeaWorld’s Rescue Team.

The sea lion reportedly acted aggressively toward its helpers, pulling itself in the direction of the oncoming traffic in defiance of its instructions.

Rescuers then used nets to stop the marine mammal before transporting it by truck to a rescue centre for a health evaluation and recovery.

This particular sea lion had been tagged prior to the rescue mission last month as he had shown up in strange locations since early November 2021.

A spokesperson for SeaWorld said: "This sea lion captured the attention and stole the hearts of Americans nationwide, and SeaWorld is proud to provide a happy ending to this story.

"The sea lion was accompanied by two other sea lions who were rehabilitated at SeaWorld San Diego and were ready to be returned at the same time. "

Filmed 7th January 2022