'Tiffany' the sea lion rescued by OSP near Highway 101 in Lincoln City

A sea lion spotted heading toward Highway 101 in Lincoln City was rescued and herded back to safety Friday evening.

An Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife trooper responded to assist the Lincoln City Police Department after receiving reports of a sea lion on SE 51st Street galumphing toward U.S. Highway 101.

The responders affectionately dubbed the sea lion "Tiffany" and began hatching a plan to get her away from the road back to the ocean.

"After discussing the situation, it was decided to try to herd it toward the water using sheets of plywood to direct its movements," OSP officials said in a social media post, which includes a video of the rescue.

They joked in the post: "Someone made a wrong turn."

With plywood provided by North Lincoln Fire and Rescue, the team herded Tiffany for two blocks to Schooner Creek — the closest body of water connected to the Pacific Ocean.

Once there, a small crowd gathered to watch and chanted "Way to go, Tiffany!" as the sea lion slid safely down the embankment and began blowing bubbles in Schooner Creek.

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The tide was outgoing at the time so there was not a lot of water, but the sea lion will be able to rest in the channel until the tide comes back in, and then swim into Siletz Bay and the Pacific Ocean, OSP officials said.

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Sea lion headed to Highway 101 in Lincoln City rescued