Sea Lion drags little girl into water at Vancouver area wharf

A heart-stopping video of a sea lion pulling a young girl into the water at a Vancouverarea wharf is a good reminder of why people should never feed wild animals, says the harbour authority’s manager.

The video, posted online Saturday, shows a sea lion suddenly grabbing a little girl’s dress and pulling her into the water at Steveston Wharf in Richmond.

The marine mammal appears to have been drawn to the dock by adults who were reportedly throwing bread crumbs into the water.

Bob Baziuk, general manager of the Steveston Harbour Authority, said watching the video made his stomach turn.

“It’s an unfortunate incident, first and foremost. I hope the little girl’s okay,” he said.

“But we’ve been trying to get that message out for years and years - don’t feed the animals. You’re just asking for trouble when you do that.”

The video shows the sea lion swimming near a dock where several people are gathered. It swallows something that has been tossed into the water and moves closed to the dock.

The little girl sits down on the edge of the wharf and, in a split second, the animal jumps up, grabs her dress in its mouth and drags her into the water.

As screams erupt from the crowd, a man immediately leaps into the water, scoops up the child and hauls her to safety.

The girl appeared terrified but physically unharmed, and was immediately whisked away from the scene by an adult.

“It’s kind of staggering and it’s a really unfortunate incident. But it happened and now that video is the poster child for why you don’t (feed the sea lions),” Baziuk said.

California sea lions often visit the area on their migratory cycle, hoping for handouts from fisherman, he said.

The incident captured on video is a first for Steveston, Baziuk said, but the harbour authority has long had signs posted all around the area warning people not to feed any of the animals, including the sea lions.

The massive mammals can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds, Baziuk said.

“And they’re hungry,” he said.

“It’s not SeaWorld. These are wild animals.”