The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is looking for answers after a fourth headless sea lion washed up on Vancouver Island.
Officials don’t know if the four decapitations in the general vicinity of Campbell River are the work of one person, or if the animals’ heads were removed to be used for ceremonial purposes.
“We rely on the eyes and ears of the public,” said Paul Cottrell, Pacific Marine Mammals Co-ordinator with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, asking the public to phone the B.C. Marine Mammal Response Network at 1-800-465-4336.
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“We’d like people to report anything out of the ordinary, and phone in a location and description.”
Cottrell said investigators have determined that at least two of the sea lions were shot, while the cause of death of the other two remains a mystery.
The skin of sea lions can be used for First Nations masks and drums, and the whiskers used for ceremonial purposes, but First Nations wishing to harvest sea lions for such reasons are supposed to apply for a permit.
Sea lions and seals have voracious appetites, and some fishermen have been known to eliminate the competition.
“Every year we get a number of sea lions and seals that have been shot,” said Cottrell. “What makes this different is that the heads have been removed.
“We don’t know whether these sea lions are being killed for their body parts.”
The latest find Monday near Campbell River follows three others in the past few months, including one further south in Comox.
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