This is the moment a helicopter pilot hovers low over a rock ledge to film sea lions for social media likes and sends the endangered animals plunging into the sea in panic.

The footage was filmed on Sakhalin Island, Russia, and shared online on Thursday, 25th September.

The video shows the helicopter descending over the outcrop known locally as Kamen Opasnosti (or Danger Rock) where dozens of Steller sea lions were resting.

The noise of the rotors makes the animals scatter and leap into the water.

The clip was posted with the caption: "A little island beauty for your feed. Time to start a new section: #ILoveMyJob."

Local media said the post drew more than a dozen angry comments. One viewer wrote: "Look at what these people are doing."

Marine specialist Valentina Mezentseva said: "What we see in this video is an outrageous situation. These are endangered Steller sea lions. Adults can weigh more than 1,000 kilogrammes and when they panic they push and trample each other. It is extremely dangerous for them."

She added: "No injuries are visible in the video but it is impossible to know what happened when the animals fled into the water."

The pilot later flew a second circle over the deserted rock to show it was empty and then left the area.

(Mike Leidig / newsX)