Record number of barking mad sea lions take over famed San Francisco pier

More than a thousand sea lions flocked to bustling Pier 39 in San Francisco, the greatest concentration of these endearing animals in fifteen years. These were not shy aquatic mammals, basking, barking, and vying for best spots on the docks by the famous Ferris wheel at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Experts surmise that the population explosion is due to an increase in anchovies, which are a preferred food source for sea lions. The crowd of sea lions turned out to be a delightful surprise for bystanders who were compelled to pause and take in the cute, chubby guests.

“It looks like a bunch of kids vying for a big spot on the couch,” tourist Les Oakes remarked to the outlet on Tuesday, “pretty cool.”

When a record-breaking 1,700 sea lions occupied the docks in 2009, Pier 39 last saw a gathering of this magnitude, according to CBS News.

They are so sweet and funny; I adore them. “It feels like they are pushing each other into the water,” Italian visitor Aurora Zantile told ABC 7.

The harbormaster of Pier 39, Sheila Chandor, attested to the fact that the marina had, in fact, tallied about a thousand sea lions that week.

“We haven’t had these kind of numbers of sea lions for probably over 15 years,” Chandor added.