Watch: Lifeguard calls out girl, kicks her off beach for throwing sand on sea lion

A young girl has been evicted from a Californian beach after throwing sand in the face of a sleeping sea lion, prompting the “perfect” response from the lifeguard on duty.

In a video of the incident posted to social media, a large sea lion can be seen basking on the sandy beach at La Jolla Cove in the state’s south, watched by a crowd of locals.

A young girl wearing a purple tracksuit suddenly breaks free from the group, picks up a handful of sand and tosses it into the sleeping animal’s face, causing it to rear up in shock.

“Little girl in purple, you can leave now. Thanks,” a lifeguard can be heard announcing over the megaphone, before the video cuts.

The clip, originally posted by local page LaJolla.Ca along with the caption “leave them alone”, was shared by star wildlife photographer Scott Fairchild.

A young girl has been evicted from a Californian beach after throwing sand in the face of a sleeping sea lion, prompting the “perfect” response from the lifeguard on duty. Photo / Instagram / @lajolla.ca

Fairchild commended the lifeguard’s reaction, writing: “Lifeguard of the year with the perfect announcement from the tower.”

In 2018, gates had to be installed at the beach to keep the animals from climbing the stairs to the lifeguard station observation deck, where they would lounge and “sometimes urinate and defecate”, prompting concern they could impede the lifeguards from carrying out their duties.

The sea lions eventually won the argument, and the beach is now closed for several weeks of the year to allow the mammals to rear their young without human interference – though a “microbial agent” is sprayed periodically to combat the smell.