It was nighttime at La Jolla Cove, San Diego, when a sea lion tried to simply get away but could not.
An unidentified man kicked it, then kicked it again, chasing it as the animal tried to escape toward the water.
Behind the recording, at least one other person laughed while filming everything on their phone.
The video spread on Instagram and Snapchat until it reached NBC San Diego, and from there outlets such as CBS, NBC News, and ABC.
The reaction was immediate: tourists and regular visitors to this cove, famous precisely for its protected sea lion population, expressed outrage.
The Sierra Club Seal Society organization has already reported the incident to authorities and is demanding that the person responsible be prosecuted.
Sea lions are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and harassing them can result in up to $36,000 dollars in penalties and one year in prison.
The problem is that NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency in charge, has only four officers to monitor all of California.
As the investigation moves forward, the man in the video remains without a name or public face.
Should the law be strengthened for these cases?
