Subject: Case Study: Seal Slashing Question
Michael Williamson (whe_william)
Mon, 12 Jan 1995 19:52:27
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Date: Thu, 12 Jan 1995 19:39:43 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Williamson <WHE_WILLIAM@FLO.ORG>
Subject: Case Study: Seal Slashing Question
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Subj: Re: Seals found slashed in NY
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 1995 11:19:21 PST
Reply-To: Marine Mammals Research and Conservation Discussion
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From: wayne stobo <w_stobo@BIONET.BIO.DFO.CA>
Subject: Re: Seals found slashed in NY
To: Multiple recipients of list MARMAM <MARMAM@UVVM.BITNET>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Seals found slashed in NY
> NEW YORK, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Three harbor seals have been viciously
>slashed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Long Island coast over the past
>few months, prompting a federal investigation into the matter, it was
>announced Tuesday.
> The latest victim, a 6-month-old female, was rescued Monday, but her
>chances for survival are slim.
> "We don't know if she's going to survive," said Kim Durham, staff
>biologist for Okeanos, a non profit organization that runs the state's
>Marine Mammal Stranded Program.
> "The two other animals died from infections, basically they died
>from blood poisoning brought on by their wounds," she said.
> Harbor seals are small mammals, weighing between 40 and 50 pounds.
> Okeanos workers picked up the first slashed seal on Nov. 8. All three
>were found at the eastern tip of Long Island, the latest near the Fire
>Island lighthouse.
> "At this point we have no idea who did this or why," Durham said.
>"These animals all federally protected," she added. "Technically it's
>against the law to even feed them."
> The seals migrate to Long Island during the winter months and dozens
>of them can be seen at low tide on clear days sunning themselves on the
>rocks.
> "Usually it's a pretty nice life," Durham said.
> Durham said the National Marine Fishery Service, the Department of
>Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Coast Guard are all involved in
>investigating the slashings.
Hi, Wayne Stobo responding to your note on harbor seal slashing. Are you
certain that it is not a shark attack? Over the last several years we have
found harbor seal pups (25-50 lbs.) which have been killed by shark attacks
- but the appearance of the pelt is that someone, or something, took a
razor and sliced them from head to tail, one or more times (when more than
once, the slashes are parallel); when the pelt is put back together it
appears as a corkscrew slash in most cases. We are certain that these are
shark attacks and a colleague of mine is researching the species of shark
which may be responsible. Please have Ms. Durham or the appropriate
authority contact me if they wish more information.
Thanks.
--
Dr. Wayne Stobo (w_stobo@bionet.bio.ns.ca)
Marine Fish Division
Bedford Institute of Oceanography
P.O. Box 1006
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
B2Y 4A2
902-426-3316 (voice)
902-426-1506 (FAX)