$20,000 reward offered for information about man seen decapitating sea lion near Monterey

"Federal authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a man who was filmed decapitating a sea lion on a beach in Monterey County earlier this summer. Investigators from the National Marine Fisheries Service say the sea lion was believed to have already been dead on Point Pinos Beach in Pacific Grove, about 2 miles from the Monterey Bay Aquarium,"

"He was decapitating a seal he had already skinned, and separated the skull from the body, Diaz said. She walked over the man and told him he was breaking the law. 90% of the locals in Monterey are aware of that, Diaz said. You cannot go near a seal alive or dead. It's the law. He told her he was doing marine biology research and had a permit. This man is in flip-flops, huge hunting filet knife, she said."

Federal investigators from the National Marine Fisheries Service are seeking information and have offered a $20,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of a man filmed decapitating a sea lion on Point Pinos Beach in Pacific Grove. Witnesses reported the sea lion appeared already dead and said a man in a Cadillac Escalade used a hunting knife to remove the head, placed it in a plastic bag, and drove away as onlookers watched. A similar December incident in Bodega Bay involved a man decapitating a dead sea lion and leaving with the head in a plastic bag. The Marine Mammal Protection Act makes harming, harassing, or collecting parts of marine mammals illegal, even if the animals are deceased. Authorities described a suspect and received witness statements claiming the man said he had a permit and was conducting research.

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