Conservation group fumes over harassment of sea lions for social media content

• The New Zealand Sea Lion Trust urges responsible behaviour around sea lions after increased harassment.
• Trustee Hanna Ravn reports incidents of people throwing objects and getting too close for photos.
• Ravn advises staying at least 20m away and reporting poor behaviour to authorities.

The New Zealand Sea Lion Trust has issued a plea for people to act responsibly around sea lions, amid a noticeable increase in those not respecting the animals.

Trustee Hanna Ravn said there have been recorded instances of sand, rocks – and even apples – being thrown at the animals, all from people hoping to capture their attention for photo and video content.

Videos sent by Dunedin teens to the trust showed one sea lion being pelted with sand while lying on Blackhead Beach.

Another showed an individual brazenly getting up close to another, in what looked to be an attempt at getting a selfie.

Ravn said mums and pups have been targeted in particular, because they’ve been in closer proximity to people and popular beaches.

In the Dunedin area, she said, there was “a small population of only a couple dozen pups” who are being put under intense pressure when people flock to the beach on sunny days.

There have also been ongoing issues with parents leaving their children alone and near sea lions to capture photos and dog owners letting their pups run off-lead to harass the animals.

New Zealand sea lions are one of the rarest sea lion species in the world and are listed as being nationally vulnerable.

“We’re seeing so many things posted in breach of the Marine Mammal Protection Act all the time,” Ravn said.

She warned the harassment creates risks of having young pups grow up “feeling that humans are breaching their boundaries” – leading to aggressive behaviour.

While many would be quick to assume uneducated tourists are largely responsible for the poor interactions, Ravn said that is not the case.

“The reality is this is locals as well – who’ve grown up along[side] sea lions – and should know way better than [the behaviour] they’re displaying.”

Ravn had four simple words of advice for people on how to deal with the animals.

“Just give them space.”

She said people should be staying at least 20m away, as signage should clearly state around areas with sea lion populations.

Ravn remained grateful to those in the community who have been doing their part in calling out, filming and educating others harassing sea lions when spotted.

She said those actions have been key in mitigating sea lion disturbance within the area.

Ravn encourages anyone who spots poor behaviour with sea lions to report it to authorities.

Blake Benny is a Christchurch-based reporter with a focus on tourism and social issues, along with general news.

Blake joined Newstalk ZB in 2022, having previously studied Broadcast Journalism at the New Zealand Broadcasting School.

You can contact Blake at blake.benny@nzme.co.nz