MNN - Mother Nature Network

It's safe to assume that Shakira will likely give sea lions a wide berth in the future.

 

While recently vacationing in Cape Town, South Africa, the 35-year-old singer-songwriter took the opportunity to get acquainted with some of the aquatic mammals in the area. Upon spying some sea lions and seals frolicking in the water, she got close to take some shots — and then, (insert dramatic music) things got dicey.

 

"Suddenly, one of them jumped out of the water so fast and impetuously that it got about one foot away from me, looked me in the eye, roared in fury and tried to bite me," she wrote on her Facebook page. "Everyone there screamed, including me. I was paralyzed by fear and couldn't move, I just kept eye contact with it while my brother 'Super Tony' jumped over me and literally saved my life, taking me away from the beast."

 

Shakira says she and her brother suffered minor scrapes as a result of scrambling over the rocks in their retreat, but otherwise are fine. She also has a theory as to why the sea lion decided to get confrontational.

 

"I believe what happened is that it confused the shiny reflection of the Blackberry I was taking these pics with, with some sort of fish," she writes. "It probably thought I was teasing it with food and then taking it away from it."

 

"Now I'm off to see some penguins!" she added. "I hope they are a bit more friendly!"

 

Clearly, this woman has never seen the animated "Madagascar" films.

 

Some of Shakira's 47 million Facebook fans were quick to chastise the singer and encourage her to learn from her close call. "Your situation could of been worse!" wrote one. "So I hope you learned don't mess with animals bigger and badder then you and stay out of harms way, we like your music!"

 

Others were a bit more forgiving. "It's obvious that Penguins have better music taste than Sea Lions," said one. "And from what I have seen in the movies, better dancers."

 

While sea lion attacks are rare, Wikipedia does report that incidents in San Francisco have increased in recent years with "swimmers being bitten on the legs by large, aggressive males, possibly as territorial acts."

 

As with any wild creature, it's best to keep your distance — and carry a long lens.