Sea Lion Drags Little Girl Into Water Off Dock, Grandfather Saves Her

Michael Fujiwara regularly visits the docks at Steveston Fisherman’s Wharf in Richmond B.C. Canada. However, on a recent visit, the university student caught a dramatic moment on camera that is now going viral and causing quite a stir. The video shows a California sea lion grabbing a young girl by the dress and dragging her into the water.

The video opens innocently enough, with the sea lion swimming near the dock. The animal attracted a group of onlookers and Fujiwara began to record it. Fujiwara told CBC News that a family was feeding it bread crumbs, while the young girl in the white dress sat down on edge of the dock. It was then that the sea lion suddenly sprang from the water and pulled her into the water.

A man (identified as the little girl’s grandfather) jumped immediately into the water after the girl and pulled her to safety. At the end of the video, the little girl is recovering from her shock enough to turn around and scream,”Grandpa! Grandpa!” And he reassures her “No big deal, no big deal.”

Watch a clip of the dramatic moment in the video below.

Fujiwara said it appeared that the girl was unharmed, but the family was “pretty shaken up” and left immediately after getting out of the water.

A marine mammal expert weighed in on the incident after watching the video and said the sea lion should not be blamed for its behavior and that it most likely mistook the girl’s white dress for a piece of fish.

Andrew Trites, the director of UBC’s Marine Mammal Research Unit, told CBC News, “My first reaction to the video is just how stupid some people can be to not treat wildlife with proper respect. This was a male California sea lion. They are huge animals. They are not circus performers. They’re not trained to be next to people.”

He added that the sea lion looks like it is used to having people feed it. Other news reports stated that the sea lion is well known at the pier and that tourists often feed it fish n chips from dockside restaurants.

Thankfully, the little girl was not hurt, or worse. She is very lucky! The video serves as a strong reminder to NOT feed the wildlife and to reinforce for people that sea lions, and any wild animal, are just that – wild.

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