Seal pup shot in head, third incident in less than year, hospital says

A three-week-old male harbor seal is in critical but stable condition and undergoing treatment at a Washington state wildlife rehabilitation center after being shot in the head, according to a wildlife hospital. 

This is the third marine mammal the Sea Life Response, Rehab and Research team in Des Moines, Washington has treated in less than a year, according to a post from the organization on social media. The message was posted alongside a video of a harbor seal pup in a padded container.  

The harbor seal pup was admitted over the Fourth of July weekend, the facility said. During an initial exam, an X-ray of the animal's skull showed he had been shot. The seal received "specialized care in our surgery suite," the facility said, and is now recovering "outside with the rest of the pups." 

"If he continues to improve, he'll receive a CT scan which will give us a clearer picture of his chance of survival and inform how to treat him from here," the organization said. 

Casey McLean, the executive director and a veterinary nurse at the rescue, told CBS affiliate KIRO that the group will do "everything to return" the pup "to the wild." That may involve an attempt to remove the bullet, the station reported. 

KIRO reported that this is the youngest marine mammal the group has treated. McLean said she believes the pup was on the water when it was shot, and that the shooter may have been aiming for an adult animal. 

Sea Life Response, Rehab and Research told KIRO that anyone who observes suspicious activity on the water should contact authorities, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, or a local marine mammal stranding network. 

Shooting a seal or a sea lion is considered a federal crime under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

In May, a tourist who threw a coconut-sized rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal was arrested by federal agents and charged with harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal. A defense attorney for the man, identified as Washington resident Igor Lytvynchuk, said he was trying to protect sea turtles. 

If convicted, Lytvynchuk faces up to one year in prison for each charge, as well as a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act.