SAN DIEGO — Two sea lions on a beach became aggressive when some curious onlookers got too close for the animals’ comfort.
Video posted to TikTok shows two large sea lions chasing a group of people down the shore at La Jolla Cove, forcing humans out of their way.
Charlianne Yeyna, who recorded the video, told KSWB that she started recording when she noticed a woman trying to take a picture of a sleeping sea lion. The sea lion woke up during the picture, and unhappy about the intrusion, began to chase the woman down the beach.
“The sea lions were sleeping and were just massive on the beach and I was just watching them and this woman got really close to them, like four feet away, and was trying to take a photo of it up close, and it just woke up and started chasing everybody,” Yeyna told KNSD.
The video shows two sea lions chasing the humans, and then diving back into the water.
Yeyna told KNSD that there were signs posted warning visitors to give the animals space, and that most other people on the beach had been respectful.
“I’m glad that (the video) went viral to raise awareness of how dangerous that they can be,” Yeyna told KNSD. “Like, they are still wild animals and you need to give them their space. They’re also protected. SO I think this shows that they are not to be messed with.”
Yeyna told KSWB that nobody appeared hurt after the animals went back into the ocean.
Sea lions in southern California establish breeding territories from May through July, according to the Dolphin Research Center.
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