Sea lions charge at beachgoers in California as panic erupts

A video that surfaced online recently shows beachgoers running in panic after sea lions charged at them. The incident occurred in La Jolla Cove in San Diego, California.

In the clip uploaded on Instagram, a sea lion can be seen walking to the beach and approaching a group of tourists. A few moments later, another sea lion emerges from the water and charges at the group of people, making them gather their possessions and flee.

In the background, a lifeguard can be heard saying over a loudspeaker, “Please give that large, male sea lion plenty of room. They have bitten people, and they are protected animals.”

However, no beachgoer reported any injury in the incident. There are several signs in the area near La Jolla Cove, warning visitors against getting close to sea lions. “Stay back: Sea lion birthing area,” one of the signs read. Another sign stated, “Do not approach mother or pups,” the report added.

 Visitors are urged to respect the marine animals, as stated by Japhet Perez Estrada, a resident of La Jolla who recorded the video of the sea lions. “I feel like people should educate themselves a little bit about the marine life here — what to do, what not to do, respect the sea lions, don’t touch them, don’t get in their space,” he said.

“People get bit here every summer, people get charged every summer and for us locals, it’s annoying because we like and respect the wildlife here,” Estrada added, emphasizing that humans need to maintain distance with the wild animals out of respect for them.