Harrowing video recorded last month on a popular California beach shows a protective sea lion lunging at dozens of beachgoers while it tries to defend its cubs.
Lauren Bertrand caught the surprising footage on June 23 at San Diego’s La Jolla Cove. The video begins with the angry sea lion barking at a group of revelers close to the shore before it turns back into the water and barrels towards several young children, who scream and run from the water in fear. As the sea lion swims back out to sea, several tourists flee the scene but most pull out their phones to record a video.
“Visited La Jolla, CA this weekend to see the Sea Lions in their (natural) habitat and to learn more about these ‘protected’ ecosystems,” Bertrand captioned the video on TikTok. “The people were peopling and this big guy was NOT having it.”
@dailymail The mother sea lion appeared to be defending her pups as she charged at beachgoers in San Diego, California. ????Lauren Bertrand via Storyful #beach #california #sandiego #sealion #sea #animal #pups
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La Jolla Cove is just 200 yards from Point La Jolla, which was closed indefinitely last September after residents and activists called upon the city to protect the beach’s sea lion population. That decision was reached through a unanimous city council vote after a similar situation featuring aggressive sea lions lashing out at beachgoers occurred almost exactly a year ago.
The city of San Diego even posted a statement to its website alerting citizens of the threats sea lions can pose. The summer months are particularly dangerous times to approach the animals, as pupping season takes place from May until October. Officials say those months are “a very important time for mother sea lions and their young to bond, nurse, and learn to swim.”
“Human interactions with adult sea lions and their young during this period could result in injury or abandonment of sea lion offspring and aggressive behavior from adult sea lions,” the city’s website explains. “These interactions are not only dangerous for both humans and wildlife, it may be a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act which helps to safeguard these animals.”
However, the warnings have seemingly fallen on deaf ears. Less than a week ago, bikini-clad tourists were seen trapped on a rock face at nearby La Jolla Shores Beach, dodging a pair of barking sea lions nipping at their toes in the surf.
