“It was funny,” sophomore Erin McNeil confesses. Recently, there has been a video circulating around social media of a young girl being snatched off a dock by a sea lion. The horrifying event took place in Richmond, British Columbia at the Stevenson docks. The girl’s family was videotaped as they fed the sea lion bread. The video shows the girl kneeling by the edge of the dock and the animal rises towards her and goes back under the water. Everyone in the video chuckles. Then, the girl sits closer to the water as bread is still being given to the animal. The sea lion lurches at her again and this time the girl is swiftly snatched under the water. Luckily, a man, rumored to be her grandfather, immediately jumps in after her and is able to put her back on the dock. She is then escorted from the scene.

People have taken to social media to show their concern about the incident. Many have blamed the parents for allowing their daughter to sit so close to the sea lion after the animal already made a lunge at her once. “The girl’s parents should be punished since they clearly didn’t follow the rules. Rules are there for a reason and this situation was definitely avoidable if they followed the rules,” sophomore Francesca Bruce emphasizes. Others have pointed out that the Stevenson docks have signs posted everywhere that read, “Don’t feed the sea lions.” Robert Kiesman of the Stevenson Harbour Authority has accused the girl’s parents of “reckless behavior.” “You certainly shouldn’t be letting your girl sit on the edge of the dock with her dress hanging down after the sea lion has already snapped at her once,” he expressed. Bruce reveals, “honestly the first time I watched the video, I thought it was Harambe 2.0 because it’s the same exact situation with careless parents and children with a wild animal.”

It is said that the girl has not suffered from any injuries, but the Vancouver Aquarium is urging her family to get in touch with them about handling a possible infection if she was bitten. “Seals and sea lions carry some pretty nasty bacteria in their mouth,” Danielle Hyson, a senior marine mammal trainer at the aquarium, told the Province newspaper in Vancouver. Serious infections can occur from these animal bites, which may lead to amputation of a limb or even death.

It is highly encouraged to not feed wild animals because of how dangerous it is. No matter how exciting it may seem, it is best to treat the animals with respect and just leave them alone. “The girl’s parents should be punished since they clearly didn’t follow the rules. Rules are there for a reason and this situation was definitely avoidable if they followed the rules,” Bruce reiterates.