CALGARY — A day at the beach turned chaotic in Southern California after two massive sea lions charged through a crowded stretch of shoreline, sending dozens of beachgoers scrambling for safety.The dramatic incident, captured on video and widely shared across social media, occurred at La Jolla Cove in San Diego, where California sea lions are a popular attraction—but occasionally remind visitors they're still wild animals.The video shows the pair of sea lions barreling across the sand as families, sunbathers and tourists hurriedly grabbed their belongings and rushed out of the animals' path. The encounter lasted only seconds, but the size and speed of the marine mammals startled those nearby.Sea lion expert Eric Otjen of SeaWorld San Diego told FOX 11 the animals appeared to be displaying normal behaviour for the season, when male sea lions often spar over territory and access to females.."He’s got swimmers all around him on his way back out, but they don’t bother him. What this is all about is his right to mate," Otjen said."This behavior is not uncommon at all. The reason why the video has gotten like 10 millions views is because everybody is running like Godzilla is chasing them."Adult male California sea lions can weigh more than 650 pounds and, despite their size, are surprisingly quick on land.According to guidelines from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the public should keep a distance of at least 50 feet from sea lions, seals and other marine mammals protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.As of now, there have been no injuries reported from this incident.
