Cellphone video of a young girl getting snatched from a dock by a sea lion in Canada has gone viral over the internet and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Mystic Aquarium, which houses several sea lions in its facility.
The video shows a group of people in Richmond, a community in British Columbia, Canada admiring a sea lion from a pier.
In the video, the sea lion inches closer to the group and a young girl sits on the pier’s edge. Shortly after, the sea lion snatches the girl’s dress and pulls her down into the water. She is then rescued by a family member and it appears neither were hurt by the animal encounter.
The viral video hit home for staff at the Mystic Aquarium because they have six California Sea Lions, the same type of animal shown in the video.
Laurie Macha, curator of marine mammals and birds at Mystic Aquarium, said sea lions are curious animals and told NBC Connecticut what may have been the reason for the sea lion’s reaction.
"Maybe the animal was protecting its territory- it could have been agitated- but it definitely was not going to eat the person,” said Macha, who told NBC Connecticut sea lions only eat fish.
While there are a few more boundaries at the Mystic Aquarium compared to that Canadian pier, she wants to remind people that while the sea lions may be cute, but they’re still wild animals
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“(A) good rule of thumb is to stay about 100 yards away. Enjoy the beauty. Use your binoculars. But to be very clear: don’t engage with animals,” Macha said.
A witness says the people in the video were feeding the sea lion bread crumbs shortly before it snatched the child.
Macha said it is against the law to feed or attempt to feed any marine mammal.
