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Chonkers the Massive Sea Lion Drew Crowds to San Francisco's Famed Pier 39. Then, a New Chunky Showstopper Stole His Identity
Key takeaways
- AP Photo / Haven Daley Since mid-March, a massive Steller sea lion aptly nicknamed Chonkers has been drawing droves of people to San Francisco’s Pier 39.
- San Franciscans are no strangers to sea lions at Pier 39, because the smaller California species has been gathering there since late 1989.
- Chonkers, however, is a Steller sea lion, a species that dwells in the northern Pacific Ocean, from northern Japan to central California.
AP Photo / Haven Daley Since mid-March, a massive Steller sea lion aptly nicknamed Chonkers has been drawing droves of people to San Francisco’s Pier 39.
“He’s like a Volkswagen! He’s so huge!” says Oluwaseyi Akinbobola, a visitor from Los Angeles who hurried to the pier for a chance to see the celebrity animal, to Janie Har and Haven Daley at the Associated Press. “I have heard everywhere about this big giant sea lion, and I like to look at things, so just thought I’d check it out.”
On May 7, however, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Caleb Pershan reported that Chonkers hasn’t been seen for days—and that a very large California sea lion, the more typical species to be seen sunbathing on the floating platforms by the pier, has unwittingly duped visitors and stolen his identity.