Four headless sea lions were found on Vancouver Island in 2013, and at least 12 seal carcasses were found on the banks of the St. Lawrence in Quebec in 2014, the CBC reported. Its still unclear why these animals were targeted; while sea lion skins and hairs are often utilized to produce products such as drums and masks, these activities need a license, and each kill has to be reported to the DFO, the CBC reported in 2013.
The headless seals, on the other hand, were possibly the target of a wild scavenger, Stéphane Lair, a teacher of veterinary medication at the University of Montreal, informed the CBC in 2014. “Scavengers attack a carcass rapidly, and they go for orifices– the nose, the mouth, the nostrils. So its the head that leaves from the body first,” Lair said.
Initially published on Live Science.
The decapitated bodies of at least 5 sea lions found on the coasts of Vancouver Island, Canada, over the previous few months hint that there might be a marine-mammal serial killer on the loose, or maybe someone who is lopping off the heads of currently dead sea lions, according to news sources..
Its uncertain how these animals died, but after taking a look at images of the dead animals, Anna Hall, a marine mammal zoologist at Sea View Marine Sciences, a business that utilizes acoustics to keep an eye on marine animal motion, stated that humans are most likely to blame..
” To me, this looks deliberate, whether its by a single person or a group of people,” Hall told the Canadian news outlet CTV News. “I genuinely hope that Fisheries and Oceans Canada pursues this case to identify who is doing this and to bring them to justice since this is an offense of federal law.”.
Related: Images: Sea lion puppies make a splash.
The images also show that the species is a Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus), Hall included. They are the 4th largest pinniped (a group that includes seals, sea lions and walruses), as males can reach lengths of up to 10.8 feet (3.3 meters) and weigh an average of 2,200 pounds.
Deborah Short, a resident of Nanaimo, a city on Vancouver Island, said she observed a headless sea lion while strolling her dog along the shore in April, and decided to take some pictures. “At first I believed it was a log and then as I got closer, I recognized it was a sea lion,” Short informed Vice.
In June, Short stumbled upon another headless sea that was near the body of a skinned seal, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). Other individuals who have discovered beheaded sea lions in the area have because sent their photos to Short. In some circumstances, it appears that the creatures tidy skull was left beside the body. As of now, the body count is at least 5, Short said..
During her online research into sea lions, Short learned that a number of First Nations groups were proposing that they be enabled to harvest or cull regional sea lions, due to the fact that as sea lion populations have expanded, the numbers of some salmon and other protected and endangered fish, which the sea lions consume, have actually dropped. However, theres no sign that the beheaded sea lions relate to the First Nations proposition, according to CTV News.
The Canadian Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) stated it was looking into the pinniped matter..
” From time to time, people might damage the animals when beached,” a DFO spokesperson told CTV News. “If this is identified to have actually been carried out in an effort to knowingly damage evidence, this would be an offense under the Criminal Code of Canada.”.
More than 70% of Steller sea lion births happen on the small islands off the northwestern suggestion of Vancouver Island, Vice reported.
Individuals need to call 1-800-465-4336 to report it to the federal government if a wild animal carcass is discovered in Canada. In Canada, sea lions are protected by the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act. Sea lions are likewise protected in the United States under the 1972 federal Marine Mammal Protection Act..
Hall said she hopes that government officials will buy a necropsy (an animal autopsy) to find out more about the deceased sea lions. “Its dreadful and definitely horrific that theres anybody on this shoreline that would feel that this is a proper course of action with regard to a marine mammal or any animal at all,” Hall informed CTV News.
Deborah Short, a citizen of Nanaimo, a city on Vancouver Island, stated she observed a headless sea lion while strolling her pet dog along the shore in April, and chose to take some images. Other people who have discovered beheaded sea lions in the location have actually considering that sent their pictures to Short. In Canada, sea lions are secured by the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act. Four headless sea lions were discovered on Vancouver Island in 2013, and at least 12 seal carcasses were discovered on the banks of the St. Lawrence in Quebec in 2014, the CBC reported. Its still unclear why these animals were targeted; while sea lion skins and whiskers are often utilized to develop products such as drums and masks, these activities need a permit, and each kill has to be reported to the DFO, the CBC reported in 2013.
