Two aggressive sea lions were captured on video chasing swimmers in La Jolla Bay, causing panic on the crowded beach.
A video of the moment two sea lions charged into a crowd in La Jolla Bay over the weekend has gone viral, but experts tell KGTV the animals weren’t actually targeting beachgoers.
“There’s a perception that sea lions are chasing people, but that’s not the case at all,” Eric Otjen, vice president of zoological operations at SeaWorld San Diego, told KG-TV.
Southern California Beaches According to the Dolphin Research Center, the number of sea lions in the cove can increase between May and July, when the animals enter their breeding season.
California sea lions charge at startled beachgoers, clearing out a busy cove
Sea lions have again been caught on video chasing people in La Jolla Bay. (Bailey Haas/KSWB)
“And they all have territories, and some don’t, so the little male that’s running around in the crowd is just looking for a place to breed,” Otjen said, “and the larger male that you see at the end of the video is the one that he was trying to take over.”
Robin Davidoff of the Sierra Club Seal Society told KGTV that sea lion mating season happens to coincide with the area’s busiest tourist season, when sea lions are often the main attraction at beaches.
“I was there on Saturday and four tourist buses stopped at different times and dropped off over 50 people. They got off, took pictures with the sea lions and left 20 minutes later,” Davidoff said. “This is just to get the information out there. You need to keep your distance.”
Sea lion population soars to 15-year high at popular California pier
Sea lions are often seen on the rocks of La Jolla Point in California. (FOX 5 San Diego)
Otchen reminds people that there are federal guidelines to protect sea lions, and people are asked to stay 50 yards away from them.
“Probably the biggest message we can get across right now is to give the sea lions some space and let them do what they want so they don’t feel confined by a lot of people and people don’t have to worry about them panicking and trying to escape,” Oggen said.
In a statement to KGTV, the city of San Diego said sea lions are protected under federal law under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The La Jolla Parks and Beaches Association, a nonprofit group that advises the city of San Diego on parks issues, held a public meeting at the La Jolla Library on Monday to discuss what can be done about the incident between beachgoers and sea lions.
According to KSWB, the group says something needs to be done to prevent sea lions from taking over the historic beach, which has been a popular spot for diving, surfing, swimming and relaxing for more than a century.
NOAA offers reward of up to $20,000 for information on boaters accused of mistreating sea lions
A video shared by Instagram user @whoisjaphet shows a sea lion charging towards the shoreline at a busy San Diego beach. (@whoisjaphet/LOCAL NEWS X/TMX)
However, many students and activists attended the rally, demanding that people leave the marine mammals alone and stay out of the bay, KSWB reported.
After a lengthy discussion, board members voted to send a letter to the San Diego City Council in support of continued public access to the cove. In the letter, KSWB reported, the Parks and Beaches Association asked for a solution to keep sea lions away from the area to prevent unwanted interactions.
This latest incident comes nearly a year after another pair of sea lions was captured charging into a crowd.
Click here to get the FOX News app
San Diego installed several signs in the area last year warning visitors to stay away. Sea lions in the cove.
The signs read, “Stay away from sea lion birthing areas” and “Do not approach mother and baby sea lions.”
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
