An investigation is underway after a man was seen in a viral video appearing to harass the sea lions at Pier 39 in San Francisco.
The man appears to shotgun a beer, backflip into the water and swim toward the sea lions on the floating docks. He then climbs onto the docks and runs toward the animals, waving his arms. The barking sea lions dive into the water.
The Marine Mammal Center said it reported the incident to law enforcement.
The video went viral over the weekend, but it’s unclear when it was taken.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as NOAA, said it’s aware of the video and wants to hear from anyone with information about it.
A local marine mammal expert said the individual was lucky one of the sea lions didn’t attack him. But he’s even more concerned about the impact an incident like this could have on the sea lion population at the pier.
“The danger to us approaching them and harassing them at this space that they've come to know for generations now, we risk them potentially leaving this location, we risk them being afraid of coming back to this spot that they're so used to. And that puts them out to kind of potentially going to other areas that are dangerous for them,” said Doug Apple of Aquarium of the Bay.
NOAA said the Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits harassment, annoyance, and torment of sea lions and other marine mammals.
Violators can face up to $11,000 in penalties, and up to a year in prison.
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