Police track suspect who shot 2-year-old sea lion lying on California beach

Federal authorities are searching for a suspect who they say shot and killed a 2-year-old sea lion as it lay on a California beach, authorities said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement is now offering a reward of up to $20,000 after the incident – which took place at Bolsa Chica State Beach in County ‘Orange, Calif., Aug. 7 – where the male California sea lion was found injured but alive between aid stations 22 and 23 with a “new gunshot wound to the back,” according to a NOAA news release published Wednesday.

“The Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Orange County rescued the male sea lion, but he died from his injuries the next day,” NOAA officials said.

Law enforcement is now actively seeking information about the person who shot the animal and any other details surrounding his shooting.

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

Like all marine mammals, the California sea lion is protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which has allowed its population to continue to increase since at least 1975, after protections were put in place under the MMPA.

“California sea lions are easy to observe in the wild, but this puts them at higher risk of human-caused injury and death. Feeding them or attempting to feed them is harmful and illegal because it alters their natural behaviors and makes them less suspicious of people and vessels,” NOAA said. “They learn to associate humans with an easy meal and to modify their natural hunting practices. For example, they take bait directly from fishing gear. Sometimes they are victims of retaliation (such as gunshots) from from frustrated boaters and fishermen.”

Anyone with information about the sea lion shooting should call NOAA’s 24/7 hotline at (800) 853-1964.