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I saw this video on the news this morning and figured I'd share. I don't know anything about sea lions, but I think there must be some kind of lesson here.
This is a large male (and probably young) who has been getting hand outs from the docks based on his behavior. I've seen videos of them stealing large fish right out of people's hands. He was probably agitated that there were plenty of hands reaching out, but not one with food.
The headline is totally inappropriate. It's really "killer humans." I don't know what possesses people to reach out and want to touch or feed wild animals, especially those with large teeth. And we always want to feed them. "A fed bear is a dead bear."
" I don't know what possesses people to reach out and want to touch or feed wild animals, especially those with large teeth."
It's is Disney's fault. They make wild animal movies depicting them as soft lovable animals. Kung Fu Panda, Sammy the Seal story books, Hush Little Polar Bear, Polar bears drinking Coke Cola and on and on. Its a wonder we humans survive at all with all the mush that is fed into our brains by Madison avenue.
I think the lesson to be learned is Never turn your back on a wild animal.
Had a chat with a harbour seal the other day.He was asking how those dumb tourists think he can tell the difference between an offered herring and empty fingers being snapped in his whiskers. Sympathized with him and showed him the scars on my hand from a relative of his years ago as a dumb kid on the dock
I blame it on the Sea Worlds and the old dolphin feeding tours where people could "interact with wild animals." As a kid in Florida, I reached down to pet a seagull that was waiting on a handout. I still clearly recall how hard it bit down on my fingers. It was a good lesson learned the hard way and I was lucky it didn't have canine teeth. The gators I knew well enough to leave alone, but many people used to feed them marshmallows. People are pretty stupid...
This just reinforces my dad's old saying: "The average person is well below average" and "Common sense isn't very damned common these days." Dad was pretty damned smart.
I wonder how he would feel about people that are convinced to buy pet food that sounds like it has fresh vegetables, meats and bacon that pet owners would like, while pouchie is outside sniffing asses and eating rotting crap out of the garbage.
Average people think animals are people and no species should ever go extinct, even though 99% of all species have, mostly before humans existed.
Yeah, clickbait at work. First of all there's nothing "KILLER". Second, the sea lion didn't drag the girl into the big bad ocean, it was just off a dock, in a harbor, in maybe a bay, not the deep blue sea. Hey, she looked like a big ball of cotton candy, and the sea lion wanted a snack. No bite, no harm, no foul.
This is what happens when folks think "Conservation" means OF OTHER PREDATORS. And why wolves and bears and snakes were exterminated in many places, a long time ago.
Reminds me of people hiking in national parks on the edge of a trail with a 1000' drop. For some reason, people think that because it is a tourist thing, it must be safe.
Was snorkeling in the Galapagos a number of years ago and swam a little too near a Bull Seal and his Harum. He let us know by the red in his eyes as he charged us repeatedly it was time for us to leave the area.
i was always advised that knotheads are mean and not friendly. this is a knothead. has a knot on its head.
sea lions are not cute puppies of ocean.
mebbe it just wanted a tender morsel.....
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