Photo: Pacific.Beach//Instagram
A social media video has surfaced showing a man appearing to kick a sea lion in San Diego’s La Jolla Cove. The video was reportedly posted to a private story, but now that it’s gone public, federal officials are investigating the incident.
The video shows a man approaching a sea lion and attempting to kick it but misses, prompting laughs from friends as they film. The video then cuts to the man squaring off against the sea lion again, and kicking at it multiple times as the bystanders laugh more. At least one of the kicks appears to hit the sea lion as it runs away and eventually jumps into the ocean.
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The NOAA posted a statement on Friday, July 24, saying it is investigating the video but had no information beyond what’s seen in the footage.
“Sea lions are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Actions or attempts to harass, harm, pursue, feed, capture, injure, restrain (no matter how temporarily), or kill may be punishable through fines or jail time,” the agency added.
San Diego Police say they were not called in to investigate the incident, but Mayor Todd Gloria stepped in over the weekend and requested that local police review the footage while the NOAA pursues its investigation.
“I’ve seen the video of a man striking a sea lion at Point La Jolla,” Gloria said. “This disgusting act of animal cruelty is unacceptable. NOAA is investigating possible federal law violations, and I’ve asked local law enforcement to review the footage as well. We must protect our wildlife.”
Last year, a California man was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to beating a pregnant sea lion near the Ventura Pier. And a similar incident made international headlines earlier this year when a Washington man threw a large rock at Lani, the Hawaiian monk seal that is beloved in the Maui community. Igor Lytvynchuk was visiting Maui when the incident occurred, and it didn’t take long for his identity to be leaked and his businesses to receive a wave of bad reviews online. The Seattle-based businessman pleaded not guilty in May and is currently banned from Hawaiian beaches as he awaits a timeline for his trial. Local politicians, including Maui’s mayor, have called for Lytvynchuk to be punished to the full extent of the law.
