VIDEO: Savage sea lion's unpleasant surprise for little girl

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You can never be too careful when you're near a large ocean-dwelling mammal , no matter how cute they may be,

This curious seal lion had popped its head up out of the water near a dock in Richmond, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, and was seemingly being quite friendly.

It was happy to poke its mug out of the water to show off for the clump of tourists on the boardwalk who were filming the seemingly delightful encounter.

Everything was going great until one little girl sat herself close to the edge of the water.

As you can see, the sea lion wasted no time seizing that opportunity to grab the little girl, dragging her down into the water. 

Thankfully her grandfather, a very reactive bloke, was around to jump in after her and save the day.

When the clip originally did the rounds on the internet, the person wielding the camera assured YouTubers that the girl and her fast-thinking rescuer were unhamred. 

But in recent days, it has come out that the girl has been treated for a very rare infection, known as seal finger.

The bacteria that live inside the mouths of sea lions and seals can cause humans to develop infections resistant to some antibiotics.

These infections have been known to lead to amputations of fingers or even hands.

After the Vancouver Aquarium put out a call warning the girl's family of the health risk, she was given treatment.