NESKOWIN, Ore. (AP) — Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are on the hunt for the individual responsible for repeatedly stabbing a baby seal on a beach in Oregon.
The wounded seal, which survived the incident in March at a cove in the small town of Neskowin by the Pacific Ocean, received aid from NOAA on Monday. The administration’s marine stranding team assisted the seal in relocating after careful observation and assessment.
The agency’s enforcement division is conducting an investigation into the attack, seeking a “person of interest” who was seen by a witness. Additionally, they are trying to identify the owner of a vehicle that was in the parking lot near the cove behind a condominium—potentially linked to the attack that occurred on a Sunday evening, according to NOAA.
Officials are asking anyone with information on the person of interest, vehicle owner or attack to call NOAA’s enforcement hotline.
In the spring and summer, juvenile elephant seals will often drag themselves onto Oregon’s beaches to spend weeks shedding their hair and skin, according to Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. Adult elephant seals are rarely seen in the state.
The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild elephant seals and other marine mammals. Violators can face criminal penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and up to 1 year in jail.
