Watch as sea lion charges toward beachgoers in California video. ‘Give them space’
A swimmer caught a sea lion on camera charging toward people at a popular beach in Southern California.
Japhet Perez Estrada, 28, was returning to the La Jolla Cove shoreline on Sunday, July 23, after a 2-mile swim when he started recording the sea lions at the beach, he told McClatchy News on July 25.
People were “crowding around” one sea lion as it tried to move along the shoreline, Perez Estrada said.
But it wasn’t long before a lifeguard can be heard ordering people to keep a distance, the video shows.
“Please give that large male sea lion plenty of room. They have bitten people,” the lifeguard says in the video.
Another sea lion plunges beneath the waves and charges toward the sea lion on the shore.
Beachgoers are seen in the video quickly scattering as some people scream. One of the sea lions then charges toward people before the video ends.
Keep a distance from marine animals
Perez Estrada, a La Jolla local and executive board member of La Jolla Village Merchants, said these types of encounters with marine animals aren’t uncommon in this area, especially during summer.
“Give them space. Don’t antagonize them by throwing rocks or sand,” Perez Estrada said.
In March, a young girl was filmed throwing sand at a sea lion at the same beach, McClatchy News previously reported. A lifeguard told her to leave.
It’s illegal to harass sea lions and all marine animals under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“What is harassment? It is when we disturb, injure, or interfere with its ability to hunt, feed, communicate, socialize, rest, breed, or care for its young,” the agency said. NOAA is in charge of enforcing the law.
People and pets should stay at least 150 feet away from seals and sea lions, the agency said.
La Jolla Cove is a popular beach in San Diego.
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Watch as sea lion charges toward beachgoers in California video. ‘Give them space’."
