Baby seal tortured
La Jolla, CA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Oct 23, 2004
County: San Diego
Disposition: Open
Case Images: 5 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
A baby seal that was reportedly tortured by some people at a La Jolla beach after getting tangled in a fishing net over the weekend died Monday, officials said.
The sea mammal succumbed to its injuries overnight at SeaWorld, where animal care experts took it in hopes of nursing it back to health, said Dave Koontz, a public information officer for the aquatic amusement park.
At about 9 p.m., San Diego police received a report several beachgoers were harming the young female seal at La Jolla Children's Pool.
The alleged attackers were part of a group of four, two men and two women, who apparently had been drinking, San Diego Police Department public information officer Dave Cohen said.
Laura Pinderski, a tourist from Alabama, said they were jabbing the animal.
Pinderski said she and her male companion asked them to stop, and when they didn't, the male companion took out his cell phone to make an emergency call. The men then grabbed the device along with his car keys and threw them in the ocean.
Despite her report, however, authorities said they had found no direct signs of abuse of the animal, which came ashore with monofilament mesh tightly wrapped around its neck.
"The only evidence of injury was what was caused by the gill net," Koontz said, describing the wound as a "pretty severe laceration."
Nonetheless, animal activists called for a thorough probe into the seal's demise.
An animal rights group, San Diego Animal Advocate, offered a $2,000 reward Monday for information leading to prosecution of the persons who may be involved in the death of a harbor seal.
Postmortem tests are scheduled, Koontz said. The results, including an official cause of death, are expected within 10 days or so.
Children's Pool, a cove protected from heavy surf, got its name decades ago, when city leaders set it aside as a place where parents could safely take youngsters into the water.
Seals have long frequented the area, and some years ago, the officials declared the beach off-limits to people to protect the seals, and it became a breeding area and tourist attraction.
Recently, the City Council eased the rules so people could visit the area as long as they didn't bother the animals. References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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