The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is offering a $20,000 reward after a bottlenose dolphin was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds last month on a southwestern Louisiana beach.
NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement said the animal was found on West Mae’s Beach in Cameron Parish. It had been shot in its brain, spinal cord and heart.
The agency said the animal was found on March 13 and taken to the Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans for an animal autopsy where it was determined it was shot near or at its time of death.
“We are asking the public for any information about who may have been involved,” NOAA said in a statement about the incident. “We are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a criminal conviction or the assessment of a civil penalty.”
The agency added that harassing, harming, killing or feeding wild dolphins is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Violators can be prosecuted civilly or criminally with punishments of up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year in jail per violation.
An estimated 2,000 dolphins live year-round at West Mae’s Beach on Barataria Bay, but they are considered a threatened species by the Marine Mammal Commission.
