The video, in which a young man is seen kicking and chasing a male sea lion at Point La Jolla, has become viral, also seen by local and federal authorities.
An incident of California sea lion abuse, captured in a now-viral video, is under federal investigation.
In the video, shared by Instagram user @platypusssd, who did not take the original video, a young man is seen kicking a California sea lion on the sidewalk barrier at Point La Jolla at night.
The young man chases the sea lion farther down the sidewalk as others are heard laughing and seen recording on another phone.
The video is stamped 11:50 pm and was posted the morning of July 23.
Sea lions are a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, implemented by NOAA Fisheries; under the law, harassment of sea lions, meaning “any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance,” is subject to prosecution, among other penalties.
The video has sparked outrage on social media outlets; one Nextdoor thread, now closed after 146 comments, contains expressions of anger, sadness and speculations.
On many of the Instagram shares of the video, the San Diego Police Department responded it is aware of the incident.
“We agree this behavior is completely unacceptable,” SDPD wrote, adding the incident is under investigation by NOAA and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
“We appreciate the public’s concern and encourage anyone with relevant information to contact the investigating agencies,” SDPD said.
A statement from the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement confirmed an investigation is underway.
“We cannot provide further details at this time,” the statement added.
Anyone with information is asked to call NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement at (800) 853-1964.
