Soon after, her husband and daughters realized something was amiss.
“I was in bed asleep,” husband Richard said. “I heard my wife screaming at the front door.”
Daughter Anika thought her mother was having a heart attack.
None of them knew what was happening until Espie mentioned the unexpected visitor on their front porch – a “jolly” big fat sea lion.
“It must have been right at her feet. She was just about to walk on it,” Anika said.
Espie backed away and quickly made her exit out the back door to get to work. Her family noted that she did not seem impressed.
Richard mentioned that the sea lion had been spotted in the neighborhood recently.
“It was two houses down the street last night, so it was unexpected, but kind of expected, you know?”
After the commotion, the family gathered at the front door to watch the sea lion sleeping.
“It added a bit of excitement to my daughter Sari’s birthday today,” Richard said.
Anika and Sari spent time observing the female sea lion as they could see a pup moving around inside her belly.
Many people gathered outside the house to catch a glimpse of the sea lion, and cars pulled over to take a look as well.
Richard, a frequent surfer at St Clair Beach, mentioned that he had encountered the female sea lion in the water before.
“I’ve probably had dealings with that one in the water a few times over the years. I’m pretty comfortable around them, and she seems comfortable around us. They don’t seem to worry about humans at all.”
He was content for the sea lion to stay for now and appreciated having wildlife right at their doorstep.
“She’s sitting there nice and relaxed, and as long as she goes somewhere else to go to the toilet, I’ll be happy – but I bet she doesn’t.”
Email: john.lewis@odt.co.nz
