Life Changing Experience with a Baby Sea Lion –Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
A YouTube video of a young California Sea Lion that boarded a sailboat off the coast of Newport Beach and spent time making friends with the crew has gone viral on the Internet.
The Truth:
The video is real and was posted by J.R. Gilkinson, according to a June 10, 2013, article by the New York Daily News.
The article said the video was filmed on May 18 when a young sea lion climbed aboard Gilkinson’s sailboat about two miles off the coast of Newport Beach, California, and eventually snuggled onto the skipper’s lap. The critter “didn’t budge for an hour.”
A member of our TruthOrFiction.com team also owns a sailboat and said such encounters are rare but can happen. Caution should taken when even such an adorable looking young creature boards your vessel. Our team member’s wife, who worked for the Office of Protected Resources of the Department of Fisheries under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), explained that Marine Mammals should be viewed from a safe distance. If someone is bitten by a seal lion, the animal is taken to a marine mammal rehab and locked up for 30 days where it will be placed under observation for rabies. This would mean a perfectly healthy animal is taking up valuable space and resources in a facility dedicated to treating injured or sick marine mammals. Also, a person bitten by the sea lion will have to undergo treatment for rabies, usually 5 vaccinations over a period of 28 days.
Sea lions are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
At the time of our investigation, the video has received over 4.5 million views.
Posted 05/20/14