How much would you risk for the perfect photo? Lots of people are willing to risk it all, apparently. In a recent viral post, two people can be seen getting way too close to a large sea lion in California.
"Leave the animals alone. For your sake and for theirs, stay 50 yards away," one Redditor wrote when sharing photos of people getting up close and personal with a wild sea lion.
The two photos show a couple posing for and taking photos of a large sea lion at the end of a dock. They appear to be 10-15 feet away, when they should be 150 feet away.
It's so important to give animals their space. No matter how used to humans they are, wildlife can act unpredictably. When humans get too close, animals have kicked, bitten, and charged to protect themselves.
While people often imagine sea lions lounging lazily on the beach, they are actually much faster than you would expect, even on land.
"They can also hoof it on land, galloping up to 6.7 meters per second across beaches and even clambering up and down rocks," Science explained. That is nearly 15 miles per hour. With males weighing 1,000 pounds or more, it's best to stay out of charging range.
In addition to keeping yourself safe, maintaining your distance is also codified into law, barring rare exceptions. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 "prohibits the 'take' of marine mammals — including harassment, hunting, capturing, collecting, or killing — in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas."
According to the act, offenders can be fined thousands of dollars for harassing marine mammals. Unfortunately, in many cases, the animal takes the blame in negative human-wildlife interactions. Animals like elk and bears have been euthanized for being too comfortable around humans.
This post showing blatant disrespect for wildlife sparked discussion and outrage on Reddit.
🗣️ Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty?
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🔘 No way 👎
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The OP wrote in the comments: "Animals won't always warn you — sea lions have been increasingly attacking people — and most importantly, your selfie isn't more important than the animals comfort. "
"I see this constantly whenever I'm down there. I'm genuinely surprised no one has been killed yet. Sea lions are absolutely metal," added someone else.
Another person said, "I'm always warning [people] from my boat when I see this, and they look at me like I told them not to pet a puppy."
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