Department of Conservation coastal biodiversity Otago ranger Jim Fyfe said a pregnant female sea lion named Gem crossed Brighton Rd yesterday and needed to be guided back to the coast.
It was the second time a pregnant Gem had chosen this exact stretch of road to relax on.
Doc called police and requested they close the road while she was guided back.
"The DCC have also arrived out there to put some signage up to slow the traffic through that section.
"They’ve recently put up some sea lion signs, but there’s just a gap between where the 100kmh starts and where the sea lion signs are, and that’s exactly where the sea lion chose to cross the road," he said.
The road was closed for a short time and Gem was safely guided back to the coast.
Gem has a history of causing a bit of a ruckus.
On November 22 last year, Gem chose the same road to have a nap on while pregnant with her pup, again causing the road to be closed.
On that occasion, a Doc ranger ushered her off the road and she took a liking to a Brighton woman’s back garden, where she plopped down to nest.
In 2022, she caused concern when she decided to nest in a spot across the road on a blind corner near Smaills Beach, causing the council to put up signs in the area.
The year before that, her female pup was hit by a car in Hoopers Inlet.
Gem gave birth to her first pup 14 years ago on Tomahawk Beach. Both had to be sedated and moved because of fears of dogs harming the pair.
There were more than 30 pregnant sea lions in Dunedin at the moment looking for nesting sites and pregnant sea lions crossing roads was not uncommon.
As a result, John Wilson Ocean Dr would be closed until February.
Temporary road humps had also been installed around Smaills Beach, he said.
