One animal rescuer said this is the second seal she has seen in Hood Canal with a gunshot wound since November.
QUILCENE, Wash. — A harbor seal found suffering on a dock near Quilcene Bay on Hood Canal last week was discovered to have been shot in the face, according to rescuers. The discovery prompted an animal cruelty investigation by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The injured seal was rushed to SR3 in Des Moines, where X-rays revealed a bullet wound as the animal continues to receive treatment.
People who work near the marina first noticed the seal Thursday morning, saying the area is normally a hotspot for harbor seal sightings. But when they noticed one seal suffering and unwilling to move, they called animal rescue professionals.
Sara Penhallegon, founder and director of Central Valley Animal Rescue, said the seal’s appearance and behavior quickly raised concerns. “It had been here for hours which wasn’t normal… and so they took photos and they sent them in and we assessed that there was a big problem,” she said, adding, “A normal seal would’ve just jumped back into the water if we were this close.”
Penhallegon noticed visible signs of illness. “It had a lot of nasal discharge and an infection going on of some sort,” she said. Her team moved quickly to capture and transport the seal. “Once I was able to get around to the backside of it, I just shoved it into the crate… carried the crate up and put it in the back of my Suburban,” she said, noting the animal was underweight.
She was then transported to Sealife Response, Rehab, and Research in Des Moines, where veterinarians conducted radiographs that revealed the cause of the seal’s injuries. “I did not know that this was a gunshot victim until they did some radiographs,” Penhallegon said.
She called the shooting “a cruel thing to do,” adding, “Whether or not you’re a fisherman and you don’t like seals because they’re competing with you for food, it’s not the way to deal with this.”
Penhallegon said it’s the second seal with a bullet wound she has seen in four months, including another rescue in Port Ludlow that did not survive. The seal rescued on Thursday, however, remains alive and under care.
If you ever witness something similar, Penhallegon urges you to always report it.
“It’d be wonderful if we could catch the people that do this,” said Penhallegon. “Law enforcement does have all this information.”
State wildlife officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding the cruelty.
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, all seals and other marine mammals are protected by federal law, making it illegal to “harass, hunt, capture, or kill, or attempt to engage in any such conduct.”