A pair of rowdy sea lions were caught on video chasing beachgoers at La Jolla Cove and causing panic on a crowded beach.
A viral video shows the moment two sea lions charged through a crowd at La Jolla Cove over the weekend, sending people into a frenzy. But experts tell KGTV the sea mammals were not actually going after the beachgoers.
“The perception is that the sea lion is chasing after people, and that’s not it at all,” Eric Otjen, vice president of zoological operations at SeaWorld San Diego, told KGTV.
Southern California’s beaches and coves may see an increase in sea lions from May through July as the animals enter breeding season, according to the Dolphin Research Center.
“And they all have territories. And some of them don’t have territories. So, the smaller guy running through the crowd of people is the one just looking for a spot to breed,” Otjen said. “And the bigger male that you see come in at the very end of that video is the one whose territory he was trying to take over.”
Robyn Davidoff of the Sierra Club Seal Society told KGTV the sea lions’ breeding season happens to coincide with the area’s busiest tourist season, when the sea lions are often the main attraction at the beach.