Dolphins Found Shot Dead On Calif. Shore

Reward Offered For Shooter Of Dolphins Washed Ashore With Bullet Wounds

(CBS/AP)  Four dead dolphins have washed ashore with fatal bullet wounds and fifth with lacerations on its pectoral fin, said authorities who have offered a reward for information on the slayings.

The long-beaked common dolphins were all discovered between Carlsbad State Beach and Oceanside Harbor between May 29 and June 5. Photos showed their normally sleek gray skin mottled and stained with blood from the bullet wounds.

"In my nine years of doing fisheries law enforcement here in San Diego, this is the first time I've heard of dolphins getting shot," National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Special Agent Michelle Zetwo told CBS affiliate KFMB correspondent Rekha Muddaraj.

"It's tragic. They're intelligent animals, and harmless. I don't understand why anybody could have the conscience to do something like this."

Necropsies revealed that the dolphins, which were healthy with bellies full of fish, may have been shot at the same time with the same gun. Four had between one and three bullets of the same caliber in the same part of their heads.

Federal officials say that nationwide, they normally get one report of a dolphin shooting a year. The last time San Diego reported such a death was five years ago. Before that there hadn't been one in the area since the 1960s.

"It usually turns out to be a fisherman," said NOAA spokesman Mark Oswell, adding there have been cases when anglers take out their frustrations on dolphins and other mammals that eat their catch.

Zetwo suggested that it may have been someone doing target practice, or dealing with a dolphin caught in fishing gear.

Biologist Kerri Danil doesn’t think the shootings are accidental.

"They were shot probably while surfacing," Danil told Muddaraj, "because the bullet wounds were in the region between the dorsal fin and the head, and that's the area that's going to break the water's surface."

The agency is offering up to $2,500 for information on the deaths. If caught, the perpetrator could face civil penalties of up to $12,000 or a criminal fine of up to $20,000, as well as jail time.

Harassing or killing dolphins is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, a federal law that protects seals, sea lions, dolphins, whales and other marine mammals.

[wizz2012]

This is a wicked act of a deeply desturbed person.

I am shocked and saddened that AnYoNe could even want to think about harming such a wonderful being such as a Dolphin, let alone murder 5 !

Shame on you ...

We have a saying in the UK it goes a little like this...
What goes around comes around.

Another states...
What you Sow so shall you Reap.

I dont have to *** you, you have damned yourself, my thoughts and energies are with the Dolphins, I just hope that They will forgive us and still be our friends..... hope so

[erasmus6]

"Multiple thousands of our kind are gunned down and it makes a news blip. How sick are we.....where is the outrage?????" posted by crusadex

Sorry my outrage is for the poor DEFENSELESS animals that were shot by some sick humans, that your government allowed to carry guns.
Your fellow Americans are constantly defending the right to carry arms, so with everyone carrying a gun they should be able to look after themselves.

[crusadex]

I wish people would get this upset when people are gunned down in cali.
Multiple thousand of our own kind are gunned down and it makes a news blip.
How sick are we......where is the outrage?????

[thatgirl702]

O.k. I agree with alot of the comments posted here about immigration, gun laws, and the sickness of an individual who soaks up TOO MUCH sun....the question is what are these comments doing here? Don't any of you want to say anything about the victims or is this only a post about the thug with the gun?

[hmmagain]

' ... i met god once, she was a little 14 billion year old girl dragon the size of a planet who crawled around inside my mind and spoke: the ones that did the crimes were the ones whose hands i chose not to guide ... that is to say, she elaborated: the innocent are infinitely forgiving, therefor i'll take their souls, the guilty, on the other hand,: i leave them to their own devices, as it is their own devices in which they place all of their faith ... '

[sformoso]

I will focus my energies on causing harm to those who shout the dolphins. So if anyone ends up with inexplicable prostate cancer, I got you!

[mrray101]

With everyone talking about putting these dolphin murders to death, I hope you would have the same [OR MORE] passion about dealling with with murderers of humans.
Never the less this is a sad story. Probably some dumb drunks partying or twisted fisherman.

[incog-nito]

This would never have happened if more dolphins carry firearms to defend themselves. One of them could have shot back and taken out the shooter.

[rushlimpdrug]

As the good law-abiding dolphins say,
"When guns are outlawed only outlaw dolphins will have guns"
Nothing worse than dolphin on dolphin crime.

[gunownerdan]

vastr-wcon said:
"the mindless, blood-thirsty killers of the NRA will likely chalk up this as another VICTORY for the "right-to-bear-arms"."

Such a statement only shows your juvenile hatred of those you do not agree with.
80 million American gun owners do not shoot dolphins and never will.
a-human-right.com

[mo005]

VastR-WCon,FeelFree1; First of all you two are idiots, second of all I wish I would have been there, I would thrown those *** whipped shooters to the sharks.

[feelfree1]

"Reward Offered For Shooter Of Dolphins Washed Ashore With Bullet Wounds"

Where was Cheney when this occurred?

[clawson44-2009]

you know i thought these postings were for absolute thoughts...not a political playground. why do politics have to come in to comment when ever anything happens? animals getting shot in the ocean????NOT POLITICAL. guns are going to be everywhere just like drugs and no matter how we try to make new laws in our towns it still stays the same. i get scared to death everytime my scanner says something about guns in my town of 10,000. kids probably on a boat thought it would be cool target practice. little do the kids know it means they have a warped mind to kill animals that are not for food

[vastr-wcon]

the mindless, blood-thirsty killers of the NRA will likely chalk up this as another VICTORY for the "right-to-bear-arms".

[sheila1346]

I am so sad as Dolphins are so used to people that they are fearless. This is shocking and anyone caught shooting or harming these wonderful creatures needs to go to jail for a long long time. I also agree with the comment about the guns. I have no problem with people hunting (although I am a vegetarian) for food as long as they take a course in gun safety But guns for the sake of guns is plain wrong and leads to untold death human or animal.

[kantsleep]

Ditto to almost everything I've read here so far.For someone to do something like this is unforgiveable and I for one would not hesitate a hair of a second to throw the switch on their sorry,twisted,inbred,pond-scum sucking pieces of dog doo-doo. They don't deserve to be breathing the same air. This is totally outside human behavior and another chapter in abnormal psychology needs to be written. What a DIRTBAG

[erasmus6]

If every Tom,******** and Harry in the U.S. didn't have the right to own a gun, this probably wouldn't have happened. It is one thing if you want to shoot each other but quite another when you feel the need to kill poor defenseless animals.

[processor2]

Forget politics for a minute.

This story is twisted, as well as sad.

I hope they nail the a**holes

...

[bacardistuff]

I LIVE for the day when people who abuse aniamls can be sentenced to life in prison or be sentenced to death.

[grammawhamma]

Where is gunownerdan...or whatever his posting name is. I'm sure who ever shot these dolphins was doing it in self defense!! I hope you all realize I am being sarcastic. I am an animal lover.