Seal Mutilation Mystery on East Coast

[ninavenita]

From early July until mid-October, five dead seals were found. Two of them — a gray seal and a harbor seal — were found washed up on Hampton Beach skinned with their male genitalia removed.
The other three — all harbor seals — were discovered by boaters in the vicinity of the Isles of Shoals. All three were badly decomposed and one had been shot with a shotgun.
The cases of mutilation could be connected to an overseas black market trade for male seal genitalia.
Angered over a series of seal mutilations in the Seacoast area, a Concord-based conservation group has posted a reward for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the acts.
Calling the mutilations a "deplorable act against marine wildlife," Robert Ferri, president of the New Hampshire Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association, said his organization is offering $1,000.

[Oikos]

Seals hunted for their meat and fur, seal pups are highly valued for their softer fur and Seal's male genetalia is sold as an
aphrodisiac. It is a brilliant idea to impose rewards in order to protect seals in the East Cost. It must be stop before its to late to save them....

[ninavenita]

I just hope that they find out who's doing it soon. I can only imaging that they are being cruel about it. They take what is valuable and throw the remains overboard.

[Oikos]

Maybe a regular monitoring of the coast could help a lot in the investigation. I hope the coast guard authority will do some actions regarding the report. Maybe tagging of seals in order to monitor them will do to prevent the killing.

[ninavenita]

Monitoring definetly needs to be done. But how can they really watch all of the coast? I fear that some of the seals caught or at least vulnerable to human interaction, are the ones released off the coast from our rehabilitation centers here. Most of the seals released are either pups or just begining adulthood.

[scarboroughfox]

ninavenita said:

I just hope that they find out who's doing it soon. I can only imaging that they are being cruel about it. They take what is valuable and throw the remains overboard.

The subject is very similar to shark finning as well! it is awful but not alot people can do about it!