San Diego restricts beach use after seal abuse

March 19, 2013 @ 8:30 pm

SAN DIEGO (AP) - San Diego's mayor has ordered a two-month nighttime shutdown of a beach after cameras set up to monitor a seal colony captured people kicking, punching and sitting on top of mother seals and their pups.

Mayor Bob Filner said in a statement Tuesday that the La Jolla (HOY'-uh) beach known as Children's Pool will be closed between sunset and sunrise until May 15.

The 24-hour "seal-cam" was introduced in January and equipped with night vision so researchers and the public could watch the seals give birth during pupping season.

But the camera captured people abusing and harassing the seals and driving them from their resting places.

The beach has been the center of a long legal fight over human access versus seal protection.


(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
More National News
Top Stories

  • Sopranos Star Dies at 51
    James Gandolfini, the actor famous for "The Sopranos", died suddenly in Italy

  • More to the Story
    Liberace's ex-lover says the world will hear more of his story, and Michael Jackson's in there

  • A Skeptic's Doubts
    An ESPN columnist doubts Russell Wilson will ever be elite
MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments