Latest news with #Neskowin
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Baby seal 'stabbed several times' as police launch manhunt for suspect
Police are searching for a man who stabbed a baby elephant seal multiple times on a beach cove. The defenceless creature had been near an apartment block in Neskowin, Oregon, before it was viciously knifed between 8 and 11.30pm on March 16. Fortunately, the animal miraculously survived the attack and has mostly recovered, according to authorities. The seal was treated by the Marine Stranding Team before it was relocated, officials said. It began to heal by mid-April with no signs of lasting injuries. Investigators have now appealed to the public to help them identify the attacker and NOAA has released a sketch matching his description. Authorities describe the suspect as a white man standing at about 5 feet 10 inches with black-and-white hair, a groomed beard, and a 'large gap' between his front teeth. A witness told officials he was sporting thick-lensed aviator glasses, dark trousers, a thin blue-and-light-green fleece top, and a low-profile black cap with a logo depicting an orange four-track excavator with the word 'timber' on it. NOAA are also seeking a vehicle seen in a parking lot next to the cove behind some apartments. The inside of his dark blue 1990s Dodge or Chrysler van was described as cluttered and the rear passenger window on the driver's side was covered in plastic. Michael Milstein, a public affairs officer with NOAA told The New York Times: 'Young elephant seals like this often spend time on their own, learning to hunt and growing larger, before eventually returning to breeding areas in and around the Channel Islands off Southern California'. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild elephant seals and other marine mammals. Violators can face federal criminal penalties of up to $100,000 (£75,000) in fines and up to 1 year in jail.
CBS News
08-05-2025
- CBS News
Baby seal found stabbed multiple times on Oregon beach; search underway for suspect
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is searching for the person who stabbed a baby seal multiple times on a beach in Oregon. The seal survived the March attack in a cove in the small town of Neskowin, which sits along the Pacific Ocean, NOAA said Monday. The administration's marine stranding team was able to move it to a more secluded beach in Washington state last month. Its wounds were healing, it had grown to about 300 pounds and there were no signs that the stabbing was going to have "lasting effects," Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for NOAA Fisheries West Coast region, said in an email. This April 2025 photo provided by Seaside Aquarium shows a baby seal who the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said was stabbed on an Oregon beach in March. Tiffany Boothe / AP The agency's law enforcement office, which is investigating the attack, was searching for a "person of interest" spotted by a witness. NOAA released a sketch of the person, describing him as a white man with a groomed beard and a large gap between his front teeth. 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. The agency described the vehicle as a dark blue 1990s Dodge or Chrysler van, adding that a rear window was covered in plastic and the interior of the van appeared to be cluttered. Officials are asking anyone with information on the person of interest, vehicle owner or attack 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 seal that was stabbed likely left its mother very recently and was on its own to learn to hunt, Milstein said. Once it had grown a bit more, it would have likely made its way back to breeding areas around the Channel Islands off Southern California. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is searching for the person who stabbed a baby seal multiple times on a beach in Oregon. NOAA released a sketch of a person of interest. 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. Last year, a bottlenose dolphin was found shot to death on a Louisiana beach, prompting authorities to offer a $20,000 reward.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- The Independent
Manhunt after baby seal stabbed multiple times on US beach
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.
Washington Post
07-05-2025
- Washington Post
Baby seal stabbed on Oregon coast prompts search for suspect
NESKOWIN, Ore. — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is searching for the person who stabbed a baby seal multiple times on a beach in Oregon. The seal survived the March attack in a cove in the small town of Neskowin, which sits along the Pacific Ocean, NOAA said Monday. The administration's marine stranding team was able to help the animal relocate after monitoring and evaluating it.
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Associated Press
Baby seal stabbed on Oregon coast prompts search for suspect
NESKOWIN, Ore. (AP) — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is searching for the person who stabbed a baby seal multiple times on a beach in Oregon. The seal survived the March attack in a cove in the small town of Neskowin, which sits along the Pacific Ocean, NOAA said 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. 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 attack 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.
