Sea lions may appear adorable, but like any wild animal, can be unpredictable and humans would do best to give them plenty of space and use caution. But apparently a pair of tourists visiting San Diego's La Jolla beach didn't get the memo, and were caught on video getting chased away from a group of the pinnipeds.
In a TikTok video posted to the platform by user @husky_fun_fam this week, two young women wearing bikinis can be seen standing on a rocky embankment in the cove, ostensibly attempting to get photos or video of the sea lions. "And this is what happens when people don't listen," the person filming said, narrating the video, before sarcastically adding, "Do you wanna be famous?"
With their backs against the cliff, the seals began barking at the girls, who had nowhere to go. As they tried to escape back into the water, one of the animals lunged at them, eliciting laughter from onlookers. Making their way back toward the beach through the waves, a large alpha noticed them and began following in hot pursuit, before they narrowly made their way back to shore.
"Despite warnings, people were getting way too close to the Sea Lions," the user captioned the video. "These two narrowly escaped the Alpha."
@husky_fun_fam Despite warnings, people were getting way too close to the Sea Lions. These two narrowly escaped the Alpha. #lajollacave #lajollasandiego #sandiegohiddengem #visitcalifornia #seallions #animals #familyvacation
♬ original sound - ✨Fun Fam ✨
Although sea lion attacks are rare, they are known to bite when threatened. The La Jolla tourism website warns visitors to keep an eye out for the beach's natural residents, to keep a safe distance, and above all, don't take photos, wave selfie sticks near their faces, or yell at the animals.
"Remember, you are a visitor in their environment, not the other way around," the website states. "Sea lions and seals deserve their space."
Be that as it may, last year the San Diego City Council unanimously voted to close Point La Jolla, a 150-yard stretch of coastline, due to humans increasingly encroaching on sea lions territory.
"Several pups drowned from being harassed into the water before they were capable of handling the turbulence of the waves," Kirsten Donald, a biologist with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, told the New York Times. Donald added that when it comes to nature, "people have really lost their common sense."
