Santa Cristobal Island
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BEWARE OF THE SEA-LIONS
One of the main wildlife attractions in San Cristobal are the sea-lions, who literally live side by side with the locals. There are not many places on this planet where you can get so close to these amazing creatures who will lounge just a few metres away from you as you lie in the sun on the beach or who you may even pass you whilst strolling in the road. To witness the miracle of new life as babies are born on the beach in such close proximity to humans is such a strange notion and one that can leave you feeling overwhelmed with emotion. It’s also fantastic to learn that these animals have so much character.
It never fails to bring a smile to my face as I watch these ever playful creatures lying on the beach, gently rolling in the waves, chasing each other around the Pier then jumping high from the water, performing acrobatics or floating on their backs just beneath the surface of the sea and spurting water through their whiskered noses.
It’s not unusual to find them poking their heads out of a moored up boat to take a glance around then naughtily get back to napping, claiming the vessel as his own. But as you pass these cute looking creatures as they lie sprawled out in the sand, stomach up, waving their fins and tugging at your heart strings, just bear in mind that they are not the cute cuddly creatures you think they are.
From afar, there’s nothing more endearing than a watching a young cub suckling on his mum and making soft clicking noises, but one of the first things that surprised me was the sheer size of these creatures. Bulls (male sea-lions) can weigh anything up to 150 pounds and are huge. These are recognizable by their ugly bumped forehead. Full grown females are not that much smaller than the males and you should be particularly careful approaching them when they are nursing their young.
Although not overly aggressive in nature, if they consider you to be in their territory then they will show their disdain by barking loudly and in some cases they may chase you. I’ve never actually heard of anyone who has been caught yet and to be honest they are not very fast on land, but the last thing you’ll be thinking as you’re running up the beach away from a 150 pound macho is that it’s cute! Sadly, some of their aggression stems from the locals who will throw sand in their face when confronted by them and as they are sometimes seen as pests. On the other hand, the sea-lions that you may swim with in Isla Lobos are much more friendly and snorkeling with them is a somewhat magical experience.
Take precautions when swimming in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno though. I have heard stories of over playful sea-lions biting swimmers. Although they do not have the attention to hurt you, their bites can cause some bad bruising. It should never be overlooked that these creatures really are fantastic and mostly placid, but simply exercise caution in your dealings with them.
Remember, never touch sea-lions, especially the young cubs. Mothers recognize their babies by scent. If a human touches a baby then apparently they can lose their scent and the mother will abandon them. Females will not adopt another cub so once it’s been abandoned it will die.
Scientists and volunteers are working hard here to ensure that the wildlife is sustained in as natural an environment as possible so over-interacting with the animals is frowned upon.
It’s your sole responsibility to help maintain this and as a rule you should never touch the wildlife. Observations are all you need to experience the uniqueness of this tiny paradise.
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