Idiots! Tourists Terrify Sea Lions While Trying to Snap Pictures

Well, it’s happened again. Our obsession with capturing ourselves on camera with animals has lead to the complete lack of respect for another living being. Just recently, two sea lions at La Jolla Cove, in San Diego, were huddled together on a rock when tourists decided it would be okay to take photos of the two marine animals. Rightfully so, the video posted to social media is sparking outrage from animal lovers around the world. In the video, people are seen poking and trying to pet the wild animals.

As you can see in the below photo, a father is alarmingly seen holding his baby right next to the sea lions before the animal almost bites the baby foot.

When will people learn?! Carly Padilla, Outreach Educator for Project Wildlife of the San Diego Humane Society noted if a sea lion bites, they often don’t let go and can cause a lot of tissue damage. Sea lions can range from 100-1,000 pounds and have thick, sharp teeth. 

Even though a sign at the entrance to the La Jolla cove clearly states, “Do not approach the Seals/Sea lions, they can bite and may attack,” people still walked up the animals. Is a pic worth this?!

Not only is approaching sea lions dangerous to humans, it’s dangerous for the sea lions too. Approaching them could cause anxiety, resulting in a mother reducing milk production or, worst, abandoning her pups altogether. This is NOT okay!

Carly Padilla said, “All wildlife sees us as a big scary predator and what do you do when there are predators around,  you try to protect yourself.” We can only imagine how scary it was to the sea lions to have humans invade their home!

Taking selfies with animals has sadly become a bit of a trend nowadays with people treating animals like they are nothing more than mere props. Unfortunately, the popularity of taking selfies with animals has caused many to experience physical harm and stress. In one recent case, tourists found a stranded, dying dolphin and instead of helping the suffering creature, they took selfies with the animal instead. In another incident, a woman killed a swan after pulling the bird out of the water just for a quick snap. In Costa Rica, hundreds of tourists prevented endangered sea turtles from nesting because they were taking selfies instead. This needs to stop.

We can all do our part by being more conscious of how our choices impact the world around us. Selfies are fun to take, but please leave wildlife out of the picture.

Image Source: Andrea Else Hahn/Facebook