Authorities are investigating whether a beachgoer decapitated the carcass of a dead sea lion that washed ashore at Ocean Beach, and they’re reminding the public that taking and collecting marine mammal parts is a federal offense.
Wildlife experts are reminding beachgoers not to disturb dead or stranded marine mammals, even if the animal appears to have been dead for some time, after the discovery of a decapitated dead sea lion at Ocean Beach.
Sue Pemberton of the California Academy of Sciences told ABC 7 that someone may have taken the head as a novelty or trophy without knowing that collecting marine mammal parts is a federal offense under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Violations carry up to one year in jail and as much as $36,000 in criminal fines.
“Maybe the person who did this didn't know that it was illegal, or maybe they did,” Pemberton said, speaking to ABC 7. “Sometimes the legality of it doesn't really stop people.”
Anyone who encounters a dead or stranded marine mammal should leave it where it is and report the sighting to local wildlife authorities or the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
The Ocean Beach incident is not the first recent report of a marine mammal carcass being decapitated on a California beach. Last year, a beachgoer in Pacific Grove reported seeing a man allegedly remove the head from a dead seal and carry it away in a Ziploc bag.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) subsequently announced no sea lion parts had been removed from the beach after the man contacted the agency following the news coverage.
He said he and his daughter had found the carcass earlier that afternoon with the skull already stripped of skin he provided a photograph showing the condition of the animal.
Related: Sea Lion Pup Found Wandering Streets In Outer Sunset Returns to the Wild Better Nourished
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