Sea Lion Dies After Being Found With Gunshot Wound on California Beach

A two-year-old sea lion died shortly after it was discovered at the Bolsa Chica State Beach in Orange County, California , with a gunshot wound.

Knewz.com has learned that federal law enforcement authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for any available information regarding the shooting of the marine mammal.

The reward was announced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Wednesday, October 9.

“NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a civil penalty or criminal conviction in the shooting of a California sea lion,” the official announcement read.

“It was found alive between lifeguard stations 22 and 23 at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Orange County, California on August 7,” the news release added.

It has been reported that the sea lion was discovered and rescued by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, who took the animal in for treatment.

While examining the sea lion, the rescuers noticed a fresh gunshot wound on his back.

However, the animal – whom the rescuers named “Epsy” – succumbed to its injuries a day after he was rescued, in spite of the treatment provided by the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

Dr. Alissa Deming, lead veterinarian and vice president of conservation medicine at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, said that the center was alerted by someone who saw the sea lion on the California beach in August and reported it “acting oddly.”

Dr. Deming further said that the sea lion was spooked before the rescue team could arrive, and returned to the water.

“Two hours later, he came back out probably because his condition was declining… He had a chest wound and was having difficulty breathing,” she added.

She further explained that the team gradually succeeded in rescuing the sea lion, following which to the Laguna Beach hospital .

It was reported that an x-ray of the animal confirmed the fact that he had been shot.

Dr. Deming estimated that the sea lion had been shot a couple of days before it showed up on the beach and was rescued, and as a result, he could not be saved.

She added that Epsy’s wounds “hadn’t healed and results showed that he had an infection and collapsed lungs.”

“Following his death, a team at PMMC performed a necropsy and recovered the bullet … using strict guidelines that require how the bullet is handled and safely stored to preserve evidence,” it was reported.

Dr. Deming said that she was “glad” the incident has gained so much attention and that the federal law enforcement is taking the shooting seriously.

She added that gunshots have become common in human and sea lion interactions.

“Many times the injuries go unnoticed, or, in some cases, the marine mammals heal on their own, so the PMMC has made it part of standard protocol to get X-rays of all the marine mammals rescued to track how many have been shot. A report compiling that data is expected to wrap up later this year,” a report mentioned.

“We can’t expect NOAA to prioritize this if we’re not doing a good job to show how pervasive this is… It’s challenging to police the ocean, but there are always witnesses. This reward will remind people this is illegal. Hopefully, someone knows about this and will step up,” Dr. Deming said in a statement.

It has been reported that the state act prohibits the harassment, hunting, capturing, or killing of marine mammals—the violation of which can result in penalties of up to $34,457, a year of imprisonment, and the “forfeiture of any vessel involved.”

The press release from the NOAA mentioned :

“The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the harassment, hunting, capturing, or killing of sea lions and other marine mammals. However, the law allows for non-lethal methods to deter marine mammals from damaging private property, including fishing gear and catch, if it does not injure or kill an animal.”