SAN DIEGO — Concern continues to grow over the safety of sea lions and their pups after another video surfaced of a man petting a newborn sea lion in La Jolla.
Video shared with CBS 8 showed a man who was said to be snorkeling on June 1 around 2:55 p.m. got out of the water and immediately began to pet a sea lion pup.
"You've got to give it some space. They are a protected animal here," a San Diego lifeguard shouted over a loudspeaker.
California sea lions are protected throughout their range under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to NOAA Fisheries. The group is working to protect them in many ways, aiming for populations to stay stable and not fall to depleted or threatened levels.
May through June is the pupping season for sea lions.
CBS 8 was at Children's Pool in La Jolla and noticed several visitors swimming too close to the species.
"In the first few weeks of their lives, they need to bond with their moms, and the scent of a human on a pup could prevent that from happening, said Carol Toye with the Sierra Club Seal Society.
The pup that was touched was relocated to another closed-off location in La Jolla, where another sea lion mother has reportedly taken the abandoned pup under its flippers.
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