BRITISH COLUMBIA

B.C.'s grabby sea lion tops 2017 list of trending YouTube videos

CTV Vancouver

Andrew Weichel CTVNewsVancouver.ca Journalist

Published Wednesday, December 6, 2017 3:06PM PST Last Updated Wednesday, December 6, 2017 4:48PM PST

Text:

A sea lion whose brazen behaviour startled tourists on a Metro Vancouver dock has beaten out Eminem and Prince Harry as Canada's trending YouTube star of the year.

Video of the grabby marine mammal yanking a little girl into the chilly waters of the Fraser River back in May was the country's most-watched trending clip for 2017, according to the website.

That's hardly a surprise, given that the video racked up more than 30 million views around the world and made international headlines, including in The Washington Post.

Eminem slamming Donald Trump during a performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards came in second, followed by a Toys "R" Us-sponsored livestream of a giraffe giving birth to a calf in New York State.

A charming clip of a toddler stealing Prince Harry's popcorn at the Invictus Games in Toronto was ranked seventh.

B.C.'s aggressive sea lion startled many viewers, but officials at the Vancouver Aquarium said the girl who was tugged into the river only suffered a superficial wound.

Biologists, who said the mammal likely mistook the girl's white dress for food, used the incident as a reminder not to feed wildlife.

Some videos on YouTube's list were more popular than the sea lion attack, including DJ Khaled's "I'm the One" music video, which has been seen nearly 870 million times, but the ranking was determined by Canada-specific viewing patterns.

YouTube has also released lists of the country's most-watched music videos and movie trailers, which were topped by Luis Fonsi's "Despacito" and the "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" teaser.