Rescued San Francisco sea lion "Irving" released back into the wild, officials say

A wayward sea lion that was found wandering in San Francisco's Outer Sunset neighborhood earlier this year has been released back into the wild, officials said.

The sea lion, which was named "Irving" by rescuers, was found on the morning of April 16. Video captured the marine mammal hanging out with San Francisco police officers near 48th Avenue and Irving Street.

"Wasn't an arrest, exactly, but the police officers were trying to get a California sea lion in custody," San Francisco Recreation and Park spokesperson Tamara Barak Aparton told CBS News Bay Area at the time. "It had wandered out of the ocean and onto the city street."

Officers and park rangers found a dog crate large enough to fit the sea lion pup into and took it to the bike storage area at a nearby ranger station until the Marine Mammal Center picked it up. The sea lion was treated at the center's hospital in Sausalito.

"We are all rooting for him," Barak Aparton said.

In an update Wednesday, the city's Recreation and Park Department said Irving had made a full recovery and was released back into the wild in Monterey.

"When our rangers found Irving, he was severely malnourished and weighed about half of what a seal pup his age should," the agency said in a statement. "After months of expert care and rehabilitation, he's healthy, strong, and back where he belongs."

Irving was released alongside another sea lion named "Jade", who recovered from malnutrition.