California man caught on camera harassing sea lions – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

MONTEREY, Calif. (KSBW) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating an incident of animal harassment in Monterey after a man was caught on camera whipping sea lions with what appeared to be caution tape.

The incident was recorded at Sister Park. The man climbed over a fence at Fisherman’s Wharf and scared the sea lions.

“If this happens, they should rename this from Sister City Park to Sea Lion Park,” said one local resident.

“Oh my God!” said one person commenting on the video.

“I saw that this morning, and man, that’s pretty lame,” said another local.

“I can’t say what I want to say,” said another Marge Brigadier.

Marge, a volunteer who answers tourists’ questions about the wildlife, says people often harass the animals.

“How often do you have to go up to people and tell them not to get too close?” KSBW 8 asked.

“Quite often, whether it’s divers, whether it’s kayakers, that’s mainly what I see,” Brigadier said.

A spokesperson for the Marine Mammal Center emphasized that this is a national problem.

“At least with regard to the disruption figures as a whole. So in Corpus there’s a big spectrum of people who just get too close, people who might try to help the animal, but don’t have the right behavior. That’s a number we’ve seen grow over the years,” said Adam Ratner of the Marine Mammal Sanctuary.

“It’s clearly an extremely serious case of harassment,” Ratner added.

The video was reported to NOAA, which contacted Monterey police to identify the man responsible.

If no one can identify him, NOAA says no further action will likely be taken.

“I trust their judgment given what’s on their docket and how they need to be able to prioritize resources,” Ratner said.

If you see someone harming or harassing marine life, report it to the NOAA Hotline Enforcement Office at 800-853-1964.

Regardless of whether anyone reported it while that incident was happening, NOAA does not have anyone available to respond personally. That position has been vacant for at least a few months.

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