Video captured Friday shows beachgoers trying to get out of the way of sea lions near rocks in La Jolla Cove in southern California before the semi-aquatic mammals hit the water, forcing swimmers to avoid their path. Charlianne Yeyna, who filmed the video, spoke to NBC San Diego about the experience. “I started recording because it was really funny … to see all these tourists being dragged away by these giant sea lions,” Yeyna said.
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Story continues below ad “The sea lions were sleeping and just massive on the beach and I was just watching them. And this woman got really close to them, about four feet away, and she was trying to get a close-up of it, and she just woke up and started chasing everybody.” According to Yeyna, there were many signs on the beach telling visitors to give space to wildlife and to stay a safe distance away from animals in their natural habitat. “They’re still wild animals and you have to give them their space,” Yeyna said. “I think this shows that they shouldn’t be messed with.”
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While La Jolla Cove is open to visitors year-round, nearby Point La Jolla is closed to the public from May 1 to October 31 for sea lion season. During this important time with their young, sea lions can be even more defensive of their territory. The San Diego City Council moved to restrict this area due to a failure to educate the public about safe behavior around sea lions. Numerous incidents of wildlife harassment by beachgoers led to the decision. Trending Stories
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While it’s possible the sea lions started charging because one was chasing the other, according to a SeaWorld spokesperson, the Internet has come out in full force against visitors who were surprisingly close to the wild animals. Story continues below ad Having seen so many tourists try to get too close to pose for photos and/or pet them illegally, I’m on Team Sea Lions here. — Altadena Guy (@altadena_guy) July 10, 2022 I used to live there. People always stand 4-5 feet away from sea lions and take selfies, not knowing that the lion could throw them and bite them at that distance. If they bite you, CA /fine/ you – because you got too close to the sea lions. & they also have a septic sting. — The Scritcher 💉x4! (@UnknownOutrider) July 11, 2022 Story continues below ad I’ve been there a lot and the sea lions are great there unless disturbed. And the lifeguards are constantly on the loudspeaker telling people to give them space. Some of those running didn’t respect those rules and had enough lol 😂 — LIN (@LIN49003901) July 11, 2022 Looks like these locals are just as fed up as the sea lions. 2:25 Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Center providing 24-hour care to sea lion found shot Previous Video Next Video © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
