Apparent Sea Lion Fight Startles Tourists in La Jolla Cove
A sea lion fight that involved one of the marine mammals charging at another startled beachgoers and tourists in La Jolla Cove on Sunday evening.
The incident occurred on Sunday, July 23 on the crowded Children’s Pool beach in La Jolla Cove. As captured by social media user Japhet Perez, one sea lion charged out of the water and ran toward another sea lion that was on the beach.
Although the sea lion wasn’t apparently targeting any of the people on the beach, the sea lion fight had dozens of beach-goers running away and screaming, CBS 8 reported.
La Jolla Cove seals and sea lions are protected marine mammals and well-known to locals throughout San Diego. Even though they’re not usually aggressive toward people, sea lions like their space — and have been known to bite people in the past.
In fact, lifeguards generally do their best to warn people at the Children’s Pool Beach about the potential threat.
“Please give that large, male sea lion plenty of room. They have bitten people, and they are protected animals,” a lifeguard can be heard telling beach-goers over the loudspeaker in the viral clip.
This is not the first time that an apparent sea lion fight has scared tourists. Last year, one sea lion was seemingly spotted chasing a group of tourists at the Children’s Pool. However, experts say that the sea lion was more likely chasing another sea lion as a form of play.
Harassment of sea lions in Point La Jolla and other places throughout San Diego has been an issue for years. That’s part of the reason why city officials have called for a year-long closure of Point La Jolla.
Rangers can ticket you for harassing or bothering sea lions, so it’s give them plenty of space on your trip to La Jolla Cove.
Mike Peterson is a writer, editor, and strategist based in San Diego. When he’s not writing and editing the La Jolla news, you can often find him practicing yoga, rock climbing, or exploring the outdoors with his wife and dog.
