The shocking moment a tourist is nearly mauled by a sea lion as she provokes a group on the beach

A tourist was nearly mauled by a sea lion as she provoked a group of the mammals on a beach. 

The beach-goer was filmed posing for photos and dancing close up to the sea lions, causing one of them to lash out at Sandfly Bay in Dunedin, New Zealand yesterday.

Dunedin wildlife expert Glynis Corson, who filmed the video, said getting close to the mammals was ‘complete stupidity’.

The 25-second video shows a woman dressed in tights and a blue hooded jumper standing less than two metres next to the group of sea lions for a photo opportunity. 

The woman began to wave her arms and dance around in front of a sea lion standing upright. 

Frightened by the animal, the tourist managed to run away unscathed. 

Ms Corson filmed and uploaded the video as a way show tourists visiting New Zealand ‘what not to do’. 

‘I had the chance to vent at this person – just how stupid they were and to have a thought for wildlife,’ she said. 

The frustrated mammal, who saw the woman’s move as a disturbance, made a sudden attempt to maul her

Ms Corson who confronted the woman and her friends was annoyed to realise they spoke little English and therefore she could not communicate her complaints. 

The wildlife expert was aware of three other incidents of sea lions being agitated by tourists on the same day.  

The New Zealand Minister for Conservation and the Minister for Primary Industries have developed a 2017 Threat Management Plan to stabilise or increase the population of the threatened sea lion species. 

The wildlife expert was aware of three other incidents of sea lions being agitated by tourists on the same day