A pair of sea lion pups splashed and played at Point La Jolla last week, chasing each other in circles through a sheltered pool, while other pups lounged on the beach or sheltered in a crevice between rocks.

Surrounding them was a crowd of visitors, cellphones in hand, some within arm’s reach of the baby marine mammals.

The spur of land between La Jolla Cove and Boomer Beach is one of a handful of sea lion rookeries, or birthing beaches, on mainland California, making it a rare place to view the newborn pups with their mothers. But throngs of visitors, captivated by the baby sea lions, may be placing both themselves and the animals at risk, wildlife advocates say.

Spectators who approach the animals can cause them to retreat into the sea, disrupting their normal behavior and possibly separating mothers and pups, said Robyn Davidoff, a docent with the Sierra Club Seal Society of San Diego, a volunteer group dedicated to preserving the region’s harbor seals and sea lions.

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