Posted by on October 25, 2004 at 17:51:19:
In Reply to: Some people are really sick... posted by Dan W on October 25, 2004 at 13:33:14:
Cause Of Baby Seal's Death Under Investigation
SeaWorld: Fishing Net Contributed To Seal's Death
POSTED: 8:08 AM PDT October 25, 2004
UPDATED: 5:05 PM PDT October 25, 2004
LA JOLLA, Calif. -- 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. Saturday, 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 asked them to stop, and when they didn't, she took out her cell phone to make an emergency call. The men then grabbed the device along with her 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. Recently the city eased the rules so people could visit the area as long as they didn't bother the animals, she said.