A Facebook video is gaining popularity after capturing a toddler’s dangerous encounter with a wild sea lion.
The clip, presumably filmed by the child’s parents, shows the toddler hopping onto a resting sea lion and then quickly being shaken off when the animal jerks its body around. The little girl lands on the pavement crying as her father rushes over to pick her up.
The video made its way onto social media, and many viewers shared their disbelief. The OP captioned the video with, “Ouch! What parent does this?” News outlets and other social channels wasted no time condemning the stunts, with one Redditor calling the parents “content hungry.”
Wildlife experts warn that humans should never interact so casually with wild animals. Sea lions may look calm, but they are powerful predators, and even a playful disturbance can provoke them.
Unnecessary encounters like this further exacerbate the imbalance in our ecosystem. Park rangers emphasize that getting too close to any species can drastically affect an animal’s well-being. And that’s not the only consequence: Animals that bite or injure people, even if provoked, are often euthanized for public safety.
For example, Grand Teton National Park reported that it caught two men harassing a bison calf, putting the animal in danger. In Scotland, a stag had to be put down after being overfed by tourists, causing the deer’s health to deteriorate.
This minor incident also highlights broader environmental issues. Veterinarians have linked increasing sea lion attacks to domoic acid from algal blooms, which are becoming more common as ocean waters warm and runoff increases.
Each such encounter is a reminder that better protections are needed, from keeping marine habitats clean to enforcing wildlife conservation. In the words of wildlife authorities, visiting wild animals should require common sense and distance to keep both people and animals safe.
Viewers were unanimous in their outrage.
“Who lets their child sit on a sea lion?” one commenter said.
Another person asked, “What did they expect?”
Another one wrote, “Poor sea lion.”
A fourth noted, “There’s a reason sea lions aren’t in petting zoos.”
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