A baby sea lion died after being fatally shot on a California beach and federal law enforcement officials are offering $20,000 to anyone with information about the killer.
The two-year-old sea lion named Espy was found at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Orange County with a bullet in his chest.
A rescue team from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC) attempted to save Espy, who was in critical condition, but the sea lion died overnight from his injuries.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials are now stepping up efforts to find out who is responsible for the cold-blooded murder.
“We offered the reward in this case because the shot animal was found on a very public beach and we hope the reward will help anyone who may have seen or heard anything to report it to us,” NOAA spokesman Michael Milstein said. The Orange County Register.
A two-year-old sea lion named Espy died after being shot in the chest
The sea lion was seen with its injuries at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Orange County.
Shooting the sea lion was a violation of the California Marine Mammal Protection Act, which “prohibits the harassment, hunting, capture, or killing of sea lions and other marine mammals,” according to NOAA.
Violators of this law can be fined up to $34,457 and may have to serve one year in prison. Anything used to commit the crime could also be confiscated by the government.
PMMC Senior Veterinarian and Vice President of Conservation Medicine Alissa Deming described her team’s experiences with Espy. The rescue team named the sea lion.
She said PMMC was tipped off by someone who saw the sea lion acting strangely. But when they reached the beach, the injured mammal returned to the water because it was scared.
About two hours later, he returned to shore “probably because his condition was worsening,” Deming told the Orange County Register.
She said she was having trouble breathing. He was taken to the hospital, where it was confirmed that Espy had been shot.
But Espy’s situation is not unique.
John Warner, director of the Los Angeles Marine Mammal Center in San Pedro, said he has seen a “steady stream” of sea lions killed.
Warner told The Orange County Register, “At least three were patients that we picked up again with gunshots and then they died in traffic.”
“This takes an emotional toll because we spend a lot of time and attention.”
NOAA offers $20,000 prize for information on sea lion killer
He said there is a sea lion in the center’s care that was shot in the jaw.
“He could barely open his mouth and we found out there was a bullet in there,” Warner said.
Last year, several endangered Steller sea lions were found dead with evidence of human interference along the Copper River Delta in Alaska, NOAA reported.
The organization offered a $20,000 reward last August for anyone with information that could lead to a criminal conviction or civil penalty.
Espy went into the water after he was first seen because he got scared, but he came ashore at Bolsa Chica about two hours later.
In 2021, another $20,000 incentive was issued for the fatal killing of another California sea lion.
This sea lion was found with a bullet in the head.
Milstein said any information that emerges about Espy’s death “would be up to the U.S. attorney to determine if the evidence stemming from the reward is sufficient to bring charges,” he told The Orange County Register.