SAN DIEGO — It's the bark heard around La Jolla. Sea lions gather at La Jolla Cove where people also come to swim and play, but three sea lion pups have been found dead in the last three days. The Sierra Club is calling on the city to help.
Robyn Davidoff with the Sierra Club said the shore is a "share the shore" situation.
"We always want to support keeping this beach open. It's very safe to swim here, just keep your hands to yourself," said Davidoff.
Touching the sea lions is against the law. It can mess with their scent and cause sea lion moms to abandon their pups. Human interference is believed to have caused the three pup deaths in the last six days.
"One looks like it has the carcass of a large lobster put on it's head so that is a bit suspicious and another one has some very strange injuries that SeaWorld rescue picked up," said Davidoff.
The sierra club is calling on the city of San Diego and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to investigate the deaths and develop a management plan to keep beachgoers and sea lions safe.
"A ranger down here educating the public and to have a visual guideline, it could be rope or cones, and it's just this area here. tourists love to get their selfies, but they are just too close," said Davidoff.
Even if the guidelines aren't up year round, they are necessary in the first four months of the pups' lives.
"When the pups are learning to swim because they're at risk at this point, they're just at the subject of being harassed by people," said Davidoff.
While nine sea lions were born in the Cove, 44 were born at La Jolla Point right around the corner.
"The area is closed to the public and can view from above and that is working perfectly," said Davidoff.
Tourists like Morgan Lynch were watching them safely.
"It's fun to see how they live and interact," said Davidoff.
The Sierra Club is at the cove almost every day trying to keep people safe, but with a small staff and minimal signage at the cove they say a ranger is necessary.
"We warned them last year that this might be a problem, it's pretty easy to have a couple cones, but you need to have someone down here to enforce it," said Davidoff.
CBS 8 reached out to the City and NOAA for a comment but has not heard back yet. The Sierra Club told CBS 8 the solutions presented are the best way to share the shore.
"This is better for them to stay wild and for us to enjoy them," said Davidoff.
WATCH RELATED: Warning: Keep a safe distance from La Jolla sea lions when visiting San Diego (Jul 3, 2024)