‘You can leave now.’ TikTok shows girl ordered off beach after tossing sand at sea lion
A young girl is seen disturbing a sunbathing sea lion before being ordered off a California beach in a viral TikTok.
The video shows a child toss sand at the marine mammal at La Jolla Cove in San Diego as a crowd of people watched.
Then a lifeguard interjects.
“Little girl in the purple, you can leave now,” a lifeguard tells the child in the Feb. 28 video posted by raspberryblush_.
The video creator captioned the TikTok “lifeguards thank u for this.” The TikToker said the girl had thrown sand at the animal three times before a lifeguard stepped in.
The TikTok has more than 2 million views and has drawn plenty of outrage from viewers.
“The fact the mom was watching her the whole time boils my blood,” one person commented.
“Wild animals can be so unpredictable and to have your children that close is mind blowing,” another TikToker wrote.
Commenters asked the TikToker for videos of the child leaving the beach, but they said the child didn’t.
La Jolla Cove is a popular beach in San Diego for tourists and lounging sea lions and seals.
In areas where seals and sea lions lounge, there are San Diego park rangers who educate visitors on staying away from the animals, the San Diego Fire Department told McClatchy News by email.
“Often people aren’t aware of the law and do not know that they are too close for the animals comfort,” the department said.
It’s illegal to harass sea lions and all marine animals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“What is harassment? It is when we disturb, injure, or interfere with its ability to hunt, feed, communicate, socialize, rest, breed, or care for its young,” the agency said.
NOAA is in charge of enforcing the law.
This story was originally published March 6, 2023 at 2:07 PM with the headline "‘You can leave now.’ TikTok shows girl ordered off beach after tossing sand at sea lion."
