Let me start by saying that I do not hate kids. Parents and guardians, however, leave much to be desired.
People all over the world are watching a chilling video of a young girl that was dragged into the water by her dress at the Steveston Pier by a sea lion.
A gentleman, apparently the girl's grandfather, plunged into the water and grabbed her. Folks rushed to get them both out of the water all while the action was being recorded.
It had to be very traumatic for the little girl.
It certainly is not the fault of the sea lion.
It is a wild animal and follows its instincts rather than human laws and warnings.
Nor is it likely the fault of the little girl who was under the supervision of her family.
So, who is to blame?
That is a no brainer - the parents/guardians without a doubt!
There are signs at the piers warning not to feed the wildlife, yet the video shows bread floating in the water and the sea lion nabbing it.
Then, a man in a checkered shirt holds his hand over the water in a feeding gesture. The sea lion floats around keeping his eyes on what the humans are doing, waiting for more food.
The girl then kneels facing the animal.
The sea lion rises out of the water towards her to cause the girl to back away quickly.
Everyone laughs loudly with excitement.
As the girl stands up, the man, instead of realizing what has just happened, once again holds out his hand in a mock feeding gesture.
In the meantime, the girl turns around, sits down on the raised step at the edge of the pier, the sea lion sees the hand has nothing in it, looks toward the girl, rises out of the water, nabs her top and pulls her into the water.
What were the parents and adults thinking? Why did they let her sit down on the edge of the dock with her back to an animal that had just shown aggression?
Sea lions have flippers and ear flaps which distinguishes them from seals. Both are referred to as pinnipeds along with walruses. Sea lion males can weight up to 300 kg and females 100 kg. Their food source is fish, not bread! They are not known to be aggressive towards humans. They are still wild animals but can be threatened if one gets too close. They hang around fishing boat piers, the same as seagulls when fishermen clean and fillet their fish and throw the rest in the water.
For tourists, watching them from a distance can be delightful. But there are those who cannot read or cannot follow instruction if they read. They are the urbanites who are used to domestic animals or animals in zoos. Even there they sometimes end up with close calls or worse.
I have worked with exotics for many years. I have heard some of the craziest excuses when folks have been injured by a wild animal. I can show you a photo of a woman who's "pet" cougar annihilated her arm in 10 seconds. There were thoughtless adults who made insane choices, but as adults and caregivers of our children we cannot put them as such risk.
In beautiful British Columbia, we live close to nature surrounded by a variety of wildlife right at our doors. It is not uncommon to spot a bear or a moose, fox or coyote or even a sea lion. It is never ok to feed them.
Enjoy these amazing creatures but respect them for what they are. Keep your distance and please always watch the VIP that is with you. Children cannot be replaced.
This little girl may very well be emotionally scared for the rest of her life.
My heart goes out to her.
