The San Diego beach that has been a home to many happy seals will close its gates at night after shocking footage emerged of women abusing the sea mammals, caught on tape by the beach’s Seal Cam.
According to the L.A. Times, Mayor Bob Filner has ordered La Jolla Children’s Pool to be closed at night after surveillance caught people by the beach harassing the seals in their natural habitat.
The mayor urged beachgoers to obey the order and not disturb the mother seals and their babies. “The behavior was shocking, reprehensible and certainly not a reflection of how most citizens in this fine city believe animals should be treated,” Filner said.
The footage was taken on January 24, but the video only surfaced this week. The video showed one of the two women taking pictures as the other sits on the seals, pulls their flippers and stomp on them. Similar incidences took place on the beach in which kids were kicking sand on a newborn pup and giving it “visible distress.”
A rope is in place with a state official patrolling the beach so nobody can enter at night.
The terms of the order state that the beach will close from sunset to sunrise until May 15, which is the end of the seal’s pupping season. Cops are still looking for the two women shown in the video.