Dolphin Discovered Fatally Shot On Beach With Bullets Stuck In Its Brain, Spinal Cord, & Heart
Authorities are providing a reward for any information regarding a juvenile bottlenose dolphin that was discovered fatally shot.
On March 13, officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had gotten a report that the dolphin was discovered washed ashore on West Mae’s Beach in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. It had wounds related to being shot by a gun.
“NOAA’s stranding network partner, Audubon Aquarium Rescue, recovered the animal and transported it to the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans for a necropsy,” sources report.
The necropsy, which is an animal autopsy, showed that several bullets had been stuck in the carcass, including the brain, spinal cord, and heart of the dolphin. The animal seemed to have died from the trauma which happened at or close to the time of death.
A reward of up to $20,000 is now being offered for any information leading to a criminal conviction or the assessment of a civil penalty.
This crime can be punishable of up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year in jail.
