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Officials urge visitors of La Jolla Cove to respect sea lions and wildlife

Officials are pleading for the public to understand that sea lions and other wildlife are wild animals, and deserve their space at La Jolla Cove.

SAN DIEGO — An important reminder for anyone visiting La Jolla Cove - if you’re going to check out the wildlife, admire seals and sea lions from a distance.

This comes after a viral video showed a girl throwing a stone at a sea lion earlier in the week.

In the video, the animal is startled and lets out a growl before a lifeguard is heard asking the girl to leave.

“They crossed the line concerning the animal; they’re not here for us,” said Steve Palmer, a San Diego resident

“They’re just chilling, they’re sleeping and eating, and if you come here and throw rocks at them, that’s just rude,” added resident Camille Arming.

According to Robyn Davidoff, chair of the Sierra Club Society, lifeguards and officials deal with incidents like this daily.

“That kind of situation where the child threw a stone at a sea lion, not only did it put her in danger but there’s quite a hefty fine associated with that,” said Davidoff.

The animal in the video is a large male sea lion.

Davidoff said although they’re not typically dangerous, they might attack if threatened.

“Certainly, he was startled, and that is a large male, probably around 800 pounds. And yeah, he was annoyed. And it could’ve turned dangerous very quickly. “he could’ve gotten up and charged at the little girl. He could’ve bitten her and thrown her across the beach. They’re very strong,” she added.

She and park rangers warn visitors to watch and admire the animals from a safe distance. “always leave a path to and from the water instead of surrounding them. More and more people come, wanting to get their photos, so they tend to form a circle around them. Of course, they're trapped, and they might become aggressive.”

“Seals and sea lions are wild animals, and their behavior and responses are unpredictable," said Richard Belesky, a senior park ranger in San Diego.

In another viral video last summer, people ran away from sea lions.

Experts said the sea lions weren’t chasing people but themselves during mating season.

Davidoff said it shows how fast they are and how things can change quickly.

“These are wild animals, this is where they live, they live on the sand and the rocks. They spend half their life on land, and we need to share the area with them,” Davidoff added.

Davidoff said females are currently six months pregnant and preparing for the pupping season in June, so keeping a safe distance is more important than ever.

WATCH RELATED: California Coastal Commission approves closure of sea lion rookery during pupping season

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