Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/05/22/sea-lion-grabs-girl-from-wharf.html
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The mensch who went in after her did not hesitate even for an instant. Impressive.
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…and even though people pointed out the inappropriateness of victim-blaming in this case (especially given the unfortunate wording of the “asking for it by dangling her skirt” language) the sealion itself kept popping up in the conversation, over and over, demanding to have its questions answered…
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CNN was basically playing that clip on a loop all night yesterday.
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I blame Hollywood.
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“I just wanted to know where she got that dress and whether they have it in my size.”
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It’s actually about ethics in dock signage.
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I really shouldn’t watch clips like this. They give me parental anxiety attacks.
To the man who immediately jumped in: You sir, are a hero!
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According to the news, he is her grandfather. His reaction time was, indeed, impressive.
I have less sympathy for the idiots who were down there the next day throwing food in the water and hoping for a reappearance. I don’t blame the girl or the (actual) sealion. I do think that anyone trying the same stunt in spite or even because of what happened needs to take responsibility for their own actions.
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Unbelievable. As the article itself points out:
California sea lions generally don’t attack people, Andrew Trites of the Marine Animal Research Unit at the University of British Columbia told NBC News. And this one did not appear to exhibit any “aggression” towards the girl.
“All I saw was an animal that was calm, curious and hungry,” he said. “Even after it all happened, the sea lion stayed in the same spot, still waiting to be fed.”
This is a one-off occurrence that fortunately didn’t have bad consequences.
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Needs a reedit with the Jaws theme…
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Unless he was in cahoots with the sea lion. I’m going to see what Alex Jones has to say before I make up my mind.
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She was asking for it by wearing that outfit - dressing up like a giant fish.
Her grandfather has some quick reflexes!
His sunglasses were floating in the water when he got out, then the camera panned back to where they’d been a moment before and they were gone. Possibly the sea lion was playing a longer strategy than was apparent…
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Are we sure it was a sea lion and not a selkie looking to trade places?
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Sea lions are carnivorous hunting animals. I mean, the name has lion in it.
Lions are big and cute too, but people don’t generally try to call them over and pat them on the nose.
Wild animals, especially predators, are not your friends; treat them with the respect their power warrants, and keep your distance.
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Not dog mermaids. Wolf mermaids.
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Last time I was in Monterey (which to be fair was over a decade ago), they’d sell you fish on the pier for the express purpose of tossing to the sea lions. The pier isn’t quite so close to the water, though.
A seagull swooped in and stole my fish out of my hand before I could toss it, too.
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I think the sea lion might have seen her dress and thought it was a bag and thought " bags hold food!" and tried to snatch what he thought was a bag.
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