A  Galápagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki) was seen by many tourists and park rangers of the Marino Las Baulas National Park, located in Santa Cruz Canton in Guanacaste Province.

The animal was spotted swimming near the coast and then laying over some rocks on the beach shore in Potrero Bay, located about 22 kilometers north of the park.  

According to the park rangers, it is not common for these mammals to reach the coast in Guanacaste. "Let's enjoy the wildlife!, " they said in their statement.

Rangers urge tourists in case of spotting sea animals "for safety, do not feed them and take precautionary distance from them." 

Wild animal experts and vets are touring the area to investigate the unusual visit. They want to verify that the animal is in good healthy condition, they said.

According to experts, Guanacaste is a privileged area because the marine currents are like wide roads to direct the sea lion back to its home in Galapagos.

The sea lion's range extends from the subarctic to tropical waters of the global ocean in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres with the notable exception of the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Six species of sea lions are classified around the world: California, Steller, Australia, Galapagos, New Zealand, and South America. "They are vulnerable to the effects of climate change on ocean currents, which impact the abundance of their prey fish," said the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) the Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment.

More wild non-native animals to Costa Rica have been spotted walking around recently.  A couple of weeks ago, park rangers from the National Service of Conservation Areas (Sinac) rescued an emu bird that was wandering through a palm plantation area in Golfito Canton in Puntarenas Province.

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