In a split second, the sea lion jumps up, grabs her dress in its mouth and drags her into the water and screams erupt from the crowd. She was rescued unharmed
A heart-stopping incident that was captured on video Saturday at a Vancouver area wharf is getting a lot of play on YouTube and Twitter.
The video, posted by Vancouver resident Michael Fujiwara, shows a sea lion suddenly pull a little girl into the water at Steveston Wharf in Richmond.
“I was just sitting by the dock and then this sea lion popped its head out of the water just in front of me. I just took out my cell phone and started filming, ” Fujiwara told Postmedia News. “The sea lion actually attracted a lot of attention from the visitors there, including the young girl…. I guess the animal got a little too comfortable.”
The marine mammal appears to have been drawn to the dock by adults who were reportedly throwing bread crumbs into the water.
At one point the sea lion swims near the dock where the people are gathered. The little girl then moves closer, sitting at the very edge of the wharf — and that’s when, in a split second, the sea lion 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, grabs 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.
