June has begun, and it’s a warm, sunny day at the Children’s Pool. The beach is packed, full of families and rowdy teenagers, as well as approximately 200 pinnipeds that call this beach their home.

It’s the Greene family’s first beach day of summer. Aaron and Alex Greene, ages three and five, are covered head to toe in sand and begging their parents to let them play with a group of pinnipeds that have just come out of the water and are settling on the beach to dry off.

"Daddy, can I pet the sea lion?” Alex Greene says, as he pulls on his father’s board shorts. “Please, Daddy? He’s so cute!”

The young parents oblige, each picking up one of their children and making their way to the pinnipeds.

Mother, Erika Greene, 26, stays 15-feet-back with Aaron Greene, who got frightened of the “big doggies,” while father, Todd Greene, slowly approaches two female pinnipeds who are lazily basking in the sun.

A large male pinniped eyes Todd and Alex Greene as they approach, barking furiously with every step they take. When Todd Greene begins to crouch down, five feet away from the females, the male begins charging forward at full speed, barking at the family.

Todd Greene quickly stands and backs away, laughing with his wife and sons as they return to their towels.

Throughout the year, visitors to the La Jolla and San Diego area are attracted to the Children’s Pool in the La Jolla Cove to get a closer look at the pinnipeds. Pinnipeds are present year-round on or near the beach and at Seal Rock, a reserve for the pinnipeds just offshore. These pinnipeds seen laying on the beach are wild animals and can be aggressive creatures. Although, approaching the pinnipeds seems harmless, research shows that it puts the humans, as well as the animals in danger. Renee Shekoufeh, an educational trainer at SeaWorld speaks out about the importance of remaining a safe distance away from the pinnipeds.

“Seals can be aggressive,” “It’s in their nature to protect themselves and their families, just like a human would. They have teeth and will bite in order to defend themselves, which can cause major problems when the public decides to interact with them – for both parties involved.”

Because pinnipeds are wild, International Fund for Animal Welfare officials say that feeding or touching them can be very dangerous. If provoked, pinnipeds will bite and can cause major injuries or transfer diseases that they’re carrying, which could lead to dangerous infections, according to officials. Matt Zaynzer, a lifeguard who has worked at the Children’s Pool for four years talks about the unforeseen dangers of going near a pinniped.

“Every day someone tries to feed a seal and it almost always ends badly, I’ve seen countless pinnipeds lunge at unsuspecting people who don’t think about what damage the pinniped’s teeth can do”

Zaynzer says he has had to call multiple ambulances for children, and even some adults, who have been bitten “because they got too close or were offering the pinnipeds food from their hands.”

San Diego native, Jessica Lucero, spends most of her summer at the Children’s Pool with her 10-year-old daughter. She says that although she has seen quite a few people injured by the pinnipeds, it is “nothing compared to the abuse the seals receive.”

According to the Seal Conservancy of San Diego website, when people get too close, whether they are intentionally trying to harass the seals or just curious, it stresses the seals out and scares them off the beach. The website states that the abuse, which is often deliberate, results in premature pup births, pup abandonment, pup mortality and malnutrition.

“If you put it into perspective, you never hear about seals or sea lions killing people, it's always the other way around,” Shekoufeh said. “Whether it is someone stabbing a sea lion, or our entire population polluting our oceans and hurting these animals.”

Lucero says she believes, like Shekoufeh, that the pinnipeds are the real victims.

“There are laws against even being near the pinnipeds,” Lucero said. “They are wild animals and although some may not be aware of the laws, it’s just common sense.”

U.S. law protects pinnipeds under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, along with every other marine mammal, which was enacted in 1972. The law was created to protect the animals and regulate human interaction with them. It states that it is illegal to be closer than 150 feet of the animals, including pinnipeds on the shore.

“The real problem is that no one is really aware that there are even laws against approaching pinnipeds,” Zaynzer said. “There aren’t any signs on the beach and, unfortunately, it isn’t common knowledge. Just a simple sign would educate people and prevent both the people and the pinnipeds from being harmed.”

If you happen to see a pinniped while spending the day at the beach, please, do your part and protect the lives of these innocent animals.