- The animal was filmed escaping from a show in the city of Luoyang on Saturday
This is the hilarious moment that a sea lion was let on the loose in a Chinese shopping centre after somehow managing to escape a circus show.
During a performance at the Quanshun Shopping Centre, located in Luoyang, which lies in the central plain of China, the animal was able to flap its way out of an enclosed area and into the concourse.
Handlers appeared to have the situation under control, attempting to calm the sea lion after it looked to have been in a state of distress.
They can be seen urging onlookers – who were quick to record the incident – to stay away from the large seal in the wake of its daring escape.
Others can be seen attempting to corner the animal with metal barriers while a cage is brought out to lead it back to safety.
Meanwhile, stunned shoppers can be seen cramming in to a Burger King outlet as they film proceedings.
Crowds can also be seen gawping on in amazement as they travel on escalators and witness the unlikely event before their eyes.
Fortunately, handlers were able to successfully catch the runaway sea lion and return it unharmed.
In the aftermath of the video being posted, experts speculated that the sea lion’s escape could have been triggered by discomfort from being in an unnatural environment like the shopping centre or through fear induced by having to perform to a large crowd.
Following the incident, The Quanshun Shopping Centre vowed to ‘enhance animal management and protection measures to prevent similar occurrences’ according to a report accompanying the video on Newsflare.
It comes after a similarly brave escapade by a baby sea lion in California earlier this month, as it jumped into the boat of a UCLA rower, delighting the crew as it nuzzled up against some of the athletes.
Logan Hibbard, a sophomore at UCLA, was practicing her rowing early in the morning on the Marina del Ray when the sea lion sprang from the water and into her boat.
‘A sea lion hopped onto the bow deck of one of our boats and just swam around to the boat that I was in,’ Hibbard told KTVU.
Despite the surprise, the sophomore athlete wasn’t frightened.
‘Honestly, I tried to be really calm,’ she said. ‘It was just a baby sea lion. He was really, really friendly.’
Hibbard continued: ‘I figured if I stayed calm, that would make him more calm. And so, we just sort of had an understanding with each other.’
While the sea lion was in the boat, Hibbard’s teammates were quick to take a few pictures.
In the photographs, the sea lion can be seen pressing against Hibbard in the boat.
In another picture, the creature appeared to be drowsy and on the verge of falling asleep.
Drawing inspiration from the UCLA Bruins, the crew team dubbed the creature ‘Bru.’
At one point during her encounter with ‘Bru,’ Hibbard tried to pet the sea lion.
‘It didn’t really like it,’ she observed. ‘So, I stopped.’
Soon the crew team realized something was the matter with ‘Bru,’ who was now resting in Hibbard’s lap.
The coaches swathed the sea lion in towels and then took it to the shore.
Hibbard and the other rowers contacted the Marine Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles, where authorities rushed ‘Bru,’ so that the creature could recover.
According to the center’s CEO, John Warner, who spoke with McClatchy News, the baby sea lion was ‘desperate.’
He explained that he would have huddled against Hibbard for warmth; the cold water had made its skeletal body hypothermic.
‘An animal coming onto a platform that people are present on is not natural. They don’t seek out people.’
‘I want to commend the rowers for not pushing it back into the water – that probably would have been a death sentence for the animal,’ he continued.