VIDEO: Park rangers kick foreigners out of famed La Jolla Cove for throwing rocks at protected sea lions

A family of foreigners visiting California were kicked out of the famed La Jolla Cove in San Diego after they were caught allegedly harassing the sea lions.

Visitors and tourists to the cove are warned to avoid the sea lions, but unruly behavior has led some activists to call on the state to shut down access to human beings in order to protect the animals.

'Why shouldn't I give you a citation for kicking an animal?'

On Sunday, San Diego photographer Jim Grant said he witnessed one such incident and recorded a San Diego City park ranger kicking out a group of people from the Cove.

"He was giving a really, really stern warning to a couple of kids about throwing things," said Grant to KNSD-TV. "Finally he told the mother, 'Woman in the brown jacket, come to the top of the stairs.'"

The video shows the mother interacting in broken English with the ranger.

"Where are you guys from?" the ranger asks.

"China," the mother says.

"China? In China, do you guys throw dirt at the animals too?" he asks.

"Why shouldn't I give you a citation for kicking an animal?" the ranger asks later on.

He decided not to give the family a citation but did follow through with kicking them out of the Cove.

Grant said he's never seen anyone kicked out of the Cove in decades of shooting photos there.

The woman got off easy. Harassing sea lions is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and carries a punishment of up to $30,000 per violation and up to one year in prison.

RELATED: Man decapitated sea lion on Christmas and rode away on e-bike with its head, California officials say

"The Cove is not your personal petting zoo, and it's not the wild, wild west. There are federal regulations that are put there for a reason," Grant added.

In July 2024, video captured at the Cove showed sea lions charging at beachgoers and causing a panic. Experts said that they were not actually chasing people but were likely just looking for a suitable place to mate.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!