A California teenager caught on video kicking a sea lion in La Jolla Cove has pleaded guilty in federal court, closing the books on a disturbing wildlife encounter.

As the Daily Mail reported, Tyler Muehl, 18, is now scheduled to be sentenced in a couple of months’ time.

Here’s what to know

Prosecutors said the June 22 incident involved Tyler Muehl, 18, of La Jolla, repeatedly kicking toward a sea lion that was resting on a sea wall. 

He later pleaded guilty to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, officials announced in a press release. The case carries a possible sentence of up to a year in custody and a fine of up to $100,000.

“National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement takes all violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act very seriously,” declared NOAA-Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement West Coast Division Assistant Director Eric Morgan in the release.

Under the plea agreement, Muehl acknowledged that he struck at the animal four separate times. That led to him accepting the charge of “knowingly and unlawfully tak[ing] a marine mammal in waters or on lands under the jurisdiction of the United States in that he did harass and hunt” the sea lion.

According to the Justice Department, the sea lion eventually got over the wall and returned to the beach. 

Before that, the Daily Mail noted that the video appeared to show the teen near the water around midnight, in what looked like a boxing stance, as the animal tried to get away, while others laughed in the background and one friend said, “Oh man, he’s going to bite you.”

More background

In many wildlife incidents, the issue is not an inherently “aggressive” animal but a person getting too close, crowding, provoking, or harassing it. 

For sea lions, harassment can lead to stress, injury, and disruption of important resting behavior. For people, it can mean bites or other injuries if the animal feels trapped and reacts defensively.

This area of La Jolla Cove is important for protected sea lions, and this isn’t the first time visitors have taken liberties with the animals. That can be especially disruptive during the breeding season.

What’s being done?

Muehl now will face a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Sentencing will occur on October 20.

“Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal—it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal,” Morgan concluded in the release.

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