‘And this is what happens when you feed wildlife’

Seeing a sea lion in the wild during a fishing trip is an incredible experience that few will experience. But just seeing it should be the limit. Trying to feed him is not a wise move.

That’s what one group learned while out on the open water. Video footage posted to the subreddit r/Whatcouldgowrong shows the creature approaching the moving ship, with passengers excited to see the animal in its natural habitat.

One fisherman then grabbed a fish and dangled it over the side of the boat. It’s no surprise that the sea lion jumped out of the water and swallowed him just as the man released the tasty treat.

But the story didn’t end there. Sensing that there was more food nearby, the animal launched itself and landed on the edge of the boat, where it found the cache of catches the fisherman had set aside in a small tank.

It’s an amusing scene, but also a disturbing one. First of all, the fisherman endangered himself and the rest of the crew. Sea lions typically eat fish and krill, but they have been known to attack penguins, so a sea lion hitting a human if it feels threatened is not out of the question.

A sea lion did indeed bite a young boy swimming off the coast of California in 2023. Experts determined that the sea lion’s behavior may have been affected by toxic algae blooms.

What’s most concerning here, however, is the crew’s reaction to the unexpected dinner guest. The footage showed one person prodding the animal with a stick, while another used a rope to hit the creature as he tried to get it to leave the boat.

Seeing animals in the wild should be a privilege, and it should come as no surprise when a creature uses its natural instincts to your disadvantage. Putting yourself in that position is the fault of one party and one party only.

Unfortunate interactions between animals occur not only at sea. In national parks across the United States, there are several examples of visitors thinking they should approach wildlife there, only to quickly regret those decisions.

In national parks, animals can be found and euthanized if they come into close contact with people, for fear that they will behave aggressively towards other people.

When animals are fed by humans, they will become accustomed to it and are likely to move close to others to try to obtain more food. This is when things can get annoying.

As one Redditor noted, they are often followed by sea lions when they are on the water.

“This is why they chase all the fishing boats, they pick them up,” they said. “Every time I go deep sea fishing, there is at least one seal following the boat and trying to grab my catch as I reel it in.”

Meanwhile, other viewers of the sea lion encounter were unimpressed by what they saw.

“And this is what happens when you feed wildlife,” said one user. “Congratulations.”

“Someone hasn’t read the book ‘If You Give A Mouse A Cookie’,” another added.

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