A wayward California sea lion pup is recovering in a marine mammal treatment center in Sausalito, Calif., after being found in the state's central valley, more than 100 miles from the ocean and about a mile from the nearest river.

The 36-pound pup "Hoppie" was spotted making his way along the side of an orchard in the San Joaquin Valley March 31.

Confused and apparently quite hungry, the small sea lion was nearly a mile from the San Joaquin River.

According to a report by United Press International, farmhands working in the orchard saw Hoppie and reported the animal to Billy Lyons, the ranch owner's son.

Lyons in turn contacted the National Marine Fisheries Service in Southern California, which conveined a group of volunteers at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito to rescue the pup.

Hoppie's namesake Eric Hopson, an assistant wildlife refuge manager at the nearby San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in Los Banos, received the pup from the Lyons and subsequently handed him over to the Sausalito facility.

Now Hoppie is reportedly receiving around-the-clock care, along with a daily five-pound portion of fish.

"He probably would have starved to death," Hopson told the Merced Sun-Star. "He was already emaciated and lacking in body weight. Unless he could find his way back to the river and back to salt water, he would have eventually died a slow death."

Hopson said the pup was lucky to find his way to farmers who seemed to know how to quickly handle the situation.

The Lyons family, including ranch owner and former state Secretary of Food and Agriculture Bill Lyons Jr., has long been involved with conservation causes.

"Hoppie is a very lucky sea lion in so many ways," Hopson continued in the Sun-Star piece. "I was just part of the process. It was great teamwork all around and a lot of lucky circumstances."

The California sea lion, scientifically designated Zalophus californianus, is a coastal eared seal that's native to western North America, with its natural habitat ranging from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, as well as the Gulf of California.

However, California sea lions have been known to survive for extended periods in fresh water environments, like the San Joaquin River, which Hoppie likely followed up from the Pacific ocean.

Back in 2004, a 315-pound sea lion dubbed "Chippy" was found with a bullet wound to his head, sitting on a road in Merced County, in same general area where Hoppie was discovered. He was also nursed back to health and returned to the wild.