A search is underway after an elephant seal pup was stabbed multiple times on a beach in Oregon.
The seal survived the attack which occurred in a cove in the small town of Neskowin, which sits along the Pacific Ocean, on March 16, between 8pm and 11.30pm, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Monday.
The administration’s marine stranding team was able to help the animal relocate after monitoring and evaluating it.
The agency's law enforcement office, which is investigating the attack, was searching for a “person of interest” spotted by a witness.
“We are seeking the public’s help in obtaining any information that may lead to the identification of the individual(s) responsible and any other details surrounding the incident,” it said.
He is descrived as a white male, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a standard build, black and white hair, a groomed beard, and a large gap between his front teeth. Witnesses said he was wearing aviator glasses with thick lenses
Officials were also looking for the owner of a vehicle seen in a parking lot near the cove behind a condominium building that may be connected with the Sunday evening attack, according to NOAA.
Officials are asking anyone with information on the person of interest, vehicle owner or attacker to call NOAA's enforcement hotline.
In the spring and summer, juvenile elephant seals will often drag themselves onto Oregon's beaches to spend weeks shedding their hair and skin, according to Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute. Adult elephant seals are rarely seen in the state.
The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild elephant seals and other marine mammals. Violators can face criminal penalties of up to $100,000 in fines and up to 1 year in jail.
