Latest news with #OfficeofLawEnforcement
Straits Times
16-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Decapitated dolphin in North Carolina prompts $25,000 reward offer from US
NORTH CAROLINA - Federal authorities want to know who decapitated a dolphin that had been stranded on an island off the coast of North Carolina in April, and they are offering a reward of up to US$20,000 (S$25,000) for information that could help them find out. The 8-foot-long bottlenose dolphin was found dead on Lea-Hutaff Island, North Carolina, on April 15, according to a statement from the Office of Law Enforcement of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The reward notice included a photo of the dolphin, which was missing its head, as it lay on the shore of the remote, undeveloped barrier island, which is north of Wilmington, North Carolina, and only accessible by boat, the agency said. Officials from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, which partners with NOAA to respond to dolphin strandings in the region, said that they determined that someone intentionally removed the dolphin's head after it had been stranded on the island. The agency noted that the dolphin was carrying Brucella, a bacteria that causes the infectious disease brucellosis, which can be transferred to humans through direct contact. Symptoms of the disease include headaches, fever, sweating and generally feeling badly or malaise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials performed a necropsy, an animal autopsy, and the results and cause of death were pending. Dolphins are not listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but they are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which bans harassing, hunting, killing or feeding wild dolphins. Violations can lead to fines up to US$100,000 and up to one year in jail. Officials said that anyone with information about the Lea-Hutaff Island's dolphin should call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964. People can leave tips anonymously, but to be eligible for the reward, they must include their name and contact information. The agency has previously offered rewards to the public for information about dolphins that appeared to have been killed. In 2024, it offered up to a US$20,000 reward in exchange for information to find the person who they believe fatally shot a juvenile dolphin at a beach in Louisiana. And in 2020, federal authorities offered a reward after two dead dolphins were found with gunshot or stab wounds in Florida. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Fox News
08-05-2025
- Fox News
Oregon seal pup stabbed multiple times as NOAA seeking to track down person of interest
An elephant seal pup suffered "multiple stab wounds" in an attack at an Oregon beach, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to launch a search for a person of interest. The NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement said this week that the incident happened on March 16 in Neskowin, Oregon, along a stretch of shoreline in front of the Proposal Rock Condominiums. "While the young elephant seal survived, it sustained multiple stab wounds. The Marine Stranding Team monitored and evaluated the animal before relocating it," the NOAA said in a statement. The agency released a sketch of a person of interest, described 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." The NOAA, citing a witness, added that the individual was wearing a "black cap with a flat front and a logo depicting an orange four-track excavator with the word 'Timber'." "We are also seeking information about the owner of a vehicle that may be associated with the person of interest," the NOAA also said, describing it as a cluttered-looking dark blue 1990s Dodge or Chrysler van that had the rear passenger window on the driver's side covered in plastic. Following the attack, the seal's 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, told The Associated Press. 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 NOAA said "Harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild elephant seals is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act" and "Violations can be prosecuted civilly or criminally and are punishable by up to $100,000 in fines and up to 1 year in jail per violation."
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
$20K reward offered after man seen decapitating sea lion in Bodega Bay
(KRON) — A $20,000 reward is being offered for information on a grisly discovery at Doran Regional Park in Bodega Bay on Christmas Day. NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement is investigating after a man was reported to be seen cutting the head off of a California sea lion. The dead sea lion, still intact, was found on Doran Beach by park staff on Dec. 25, 2024. Later that day, NOAA Fisheries said an eyewitness came forward and told law enforcement that they saw a man remove the dead mammal's head with a black 8-inch knife and place it in a clear plastic bag before riding away on a black fat tire e-bike. The suspect was described as a 'tan-complexioned male, approximately 30–40 years old, dressed in all black,' officials said. The reward of up to $20,000 is for information leading to a civil penalty or criminal conviction, NOAA said. Anyone with information is asked to call NOAA's 24/7 enforcement hotline at 800-853-1964. The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the harassment, hunting, capturing or killing of marine mammals. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
