Four suspects kidnap a baby Sea Lion from California beach

Los Angeles, California – Four suspects stole a baby sea lion pup on Sunday early morning from its mother while the two were at Dockweiler State Beach. Talking to the City News Service, Marine Animal Rescue’s Peter Wallerstein said that there are chances that the sea lion pup might have bitten someone as it has a 10 times greater bite as compared to the pit bull.

The incident took place at 3.30 a.m. According to the witness, there were two men and two women harassing the two sea lion babies. These people were in the age group of 20 to 25 years and were very rude to the animals. They were found throwing trash and cinder blocks at the animals on the shore. Although none of the animals was hurt, a male accomplice managed to grab a sea lion pup and kidnap it.

The suspects also tried to kidnap the second 10-month old pup, but it somehow managed to dodge them and hide itself in the nearby bushes. According to the witness, the pup was stolen in a black two-door Honda Civic having a California license plate.

Fine, Jail and Bite for the Kidnappers

Wallerstein was alerted by the beach security officers about the presence of two baby sea lions on the shore. One of the pups was trapped in the nearby bushes and was freed by Wallerstein. However, the security officers told Wallerstein that four people stole one of the pups by wrapping him in a blanket. They put him in a vehicle and went away. This federal punishable crime can land them with a fine of $10,000 and a sentence of one year in the jail.

A sea lion pup requires a lot of specialized care. Thus, apart from the bites, jail, and fine there can be more trouble in waiting for the people who stole the pup. The investigation is being carried out under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration authority. The wildlife experts believe that starvation is the major issue making the sea lion pups come to the shore thereby putting them in more danger.