Incredible sea lion rescue serves as reminder to not feed wild animals
Views of an incredible rescue out of Canada have swelled on social media after a young girl was dragged into the water by a sea lion.
It happened Saturday at the Steveston Harbor in Richmond, a Vancouver suburb, after the 9-year-old girl and her family was seen feeding the sea lion. It was caught on camera by Michael Fujiwara.
"As she was trying to sit down on the side of the dock, it jumped back up grabbed her by the waist and just dragged into the water. So it was a pretty horrific scene," Fujiwara recalled in an interview.
The little girl's grandfather leaped into action immediately after she was yanked into water, and she appears to walked away without any injuries; however, experts 47ABC spoke to say this should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone tempted to feed a wild animal.
Ralph Piland, director of the Salisbury Zoo, says the sea lion was not acting out of aggression but rather impatience. Piland tells 47ABC a good rule of thumb is to not feed wild animals if you're going to visit areas that have them.
"Let them have their natural diet. Don't feed them. It generates bad habits. It causes animals like that sea lion to come to an area where it shouldn't stay, probably, and to associate people with food and that could lead to bad consequences," he explains.
When visiting areas like zoos, for example, he says it's fine to be curious and to observe.
From bison to rhea, the types of wild animals on display in their enclosures run the gamut at the Salisbury Zoo; however, Piland says it's all about admiring them from afar to ensure both the visitors and animals are safe.
"Don't approach wild animals. Let them have their space, respect them. If an animal is lying down, resting…it's doing that for a reason. It should be allowed to do that," he says.
ABC News reports authorities at the harbor say they already had warning signs about feeding animals but now, they will add more.
As for the Salisbury Zoo, we're told May is the most heavily attended month for visitors; however, June, July, and August are busy times as well.
