Sea Lions Gather on California Beach, People Should Let Them Rest

Hundreds of California sea lions have taken over San Carlos Beach in Monterey, California, causing officials to close the area to people.

Drawn to the animals, people still gather to take photos as they rest and play on the sand and in the water. While sea lions, or eared seals, are often seen at certain beaches up and down the California coast, locals say they have never seen so many of them in Monterey.

Lisa Uttal is a marine biologist with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. She said it was unclear exactly why the sea lions chose San Carlos Beach, but they may be attracted to the food supply in nearby waters. Almost all the seals gathered on the beach were male, she said.

Uttal explained that the seals move to the northern coast from Ventura and the Channel Islands. “They are incredibly mobile. They're usually chasing the food.” She noted that the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has many different kinds of sea life. Uttal expects the sea lions to remain on San Carlos Beach for three to four weeks.

Marge Brigadier is a volunteer with Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's Bay Net program. She said people should not get too close to the sea lions or try to make them move away. The U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 is the law that prevents people from harming them.

"People just need to think about how they would feel if they were resting on their bed taking a nap and something big kept coming and chasing them out of the house," Brigadier said.

I'm Andrew Smith.

Dylan Bouscher reported this story for Reuters. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

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sea lion – n. an eared seal occurring mainly on Pacific coasts, the large male of which has a mane on the neck and shoulders.

marine – adj. of or relating to the sea or the plants and animals that live in the sea

mammal – n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin

attract – v. to cause (someone) to choose to do or be involved in something

nap – n. a short period of sleep especially during the day