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SAN DIEGO — <\/span>Federal wildlife authorities are investigating after a video appeared to show a person kicking a protected sea lion at a beach in California. <\/p>\n A spokesperson for the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed an ongoing investigation into the incident but declined to provide additional details Sunday.<\/p>\n The video appears to show a person throwing kicks at the sea lion at La Jolla Cove in San Diego as at least one other person can be heard laughing in the background. The person follows the sea lion, throwing more kicks at the animal as it tries to scoot away before the video ends.<\/p>\n \u201cNOAA Fisheries\u2019 Office of Law Enforcement is investigating reports of a video on social media that shows an interaction between an individual and sea lion, allegedly in La Jolla Cove,\u201d a spokesperson for the agency said. \u201cIn the video, the individual appears to be kicking the sea lion. This is an ongoing investigation, and we cannot provide further details at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n The person in the video has not been publicly identified. <\/p>\n Sea lions are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s guidelines say that people should stay at least 50 feet (15 meters) away from sea lions, seals and other species protected by the act. <\/p>\n \u201cThis disgusting act of animal cruelty is unacceptable,\u201d San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said in a post on X. He acknowledged the federal investigation and said he has directed local law enforcement to review the footage. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n