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Authorities Seek Thief in Sea Lion Corpse Case

(North Oregon Coast) - As various storms continue to wash up an array of manmade and natural objects, someone has raided the corpse of a sea creature brought ashore.

Keith Chandler, manager of the Seaside Aquarium, said a Stellar Sea Lion washed up onto a north Clatsop County beach sometime on Thursday. Somewhere between 4 p.m. that day and 10 a.m. on January 20, someone removed the head of the sea lion and took it away.

Chandler and authorities are seeking information about the crime.

Chandler is part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which is the official arm on the north Oregon coast of a Portland State University agency that retrieves and analyzes the remains of animals washed ashore, in an effort to determine cause of death. This helps the scientific community keep tabs on any trends in the health of the ocean environment.

“This highly illegal act has compromised the scientific value of this rare specimen,” said Chandler.

If anyone has any information regarding this illegal activity, please inform the Seaside Aquarium at (503) 738-6211.