BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A harbor seal pup rescued from the Smith Gardens tidal flats in Bellingham is recovering after being shot in the head.
The pup was found when it was about 3 weeks old, and it was taken to Sealife Response, Rehab and Research, or SR3, a marine rehabilitation facility. After taking X-rays, SR3 Executive Director and veterinary nurse Casey McLean said staff discovered the animal had been shot.
It is not clear who shot the seal.
SR3 said the shooting follows other recent cases involving harbor seals getting shot. Before this case, SR3 said two adult harbor seals were found with gunshot wounds to the head — one rescued in the Hood Canal area and the other in Quilcene. Both died from their injuries.
McLean said the case is part of a larger pattern.
This is certainly not a new issue,” McLean said. “We have seen lots of animals wash up dead, and we later discovered they had been shot. What is new is seeing these animals survive the gunshot wounds and come to us suffering, which is very unfortunate and, frankly, disturbing.
SR3 believes the shootings may be fueled by the misconception that seals are responsible for declining salmon populations. The organization said harbor seals eat more than 60 species of marine life, and research suggests eliminating seals and sea lions would not restore salmon runs because of other environmental pressures.
“There have been researchers who have said even if we took out every seal and sea lion, we still would not recover the salmon because of the environmental factors humans have placed on them,” McLean said.
All three cases were forwarded to NOAA Law Enforcement and the Fish and Wildlife Office of Law Enforcement. Harbor seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Penalties can cost up to $29,000 per county and up to a year in jail.