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Exam indicates sea lions weren't shot to death

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 2:50 PM PDT

By Joseph B. Frazier
The Associated Press

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PORTLAND  — Federal officials did an about-face Wednesday in an investigation of the deaths of six sea lions at Bonneville Dam, saying their initial assumption that the animals had been shot to death was wrong.

The conclusion, based on the preliminary results of necropsies, reopened questions of how the animals died or whether humans killed them.

The service’s initial reports about the deaths raised intense interest in the long-running dispute over the sea lions, which prey on protected salmon, and as a consequence, the government and the Humane Society of the United States made an agreement to suspend trapping and removing the sea lions this year.

But the preliminary results of the examination of the carcasses found no evidence of recent gunshot wounds, spokesman Brian Gorman of the National Marine Fisheries Service said on Wednesday.

Gorman said the necropsy results showed numerous shallow puncture wounds in one animal consistent with sea lion bite marks, and X-rays found metal fragments in soft tissue near the neck of two animals.

A metal slug was found in the blubber of one animal.

But, he said, neither the fragments nor the slug appear to be fatal and may have been from old wounds.

Mark Oswell, a wildlife enforcement officer for the service in Silver Spring, Md., said Wednesday that human involvement cannot be ruled out and said dehydration, heat exhaustion or panic could have been factors. He said it is still is not known what caused the doors of the cage traps to close, trapping the animals.

Oswell said toxicology tests will be done if further investigations warrant it and that tissue samples have been taken.

He said the sea lions have been taken to the federal fish and wildlife forensics laboratory in Ashland, where officials declined to comment.

The service reported Sunday the animals had apparently been shot and said later that investigators were pursuing theories that somebody in a boat had gone to the traps and used a high-powered rifle to dispatch the sea lions, the bullets passing through the flesh.

A spokesman for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Rick Hargrave, said Monday that the sea lion cages were checked on Saturday about 7 p.m. and again at noon on Sunday, when a student intern reported that the drop-down cage doors were closed. An Oregon state employee then confirmed the deaths. Two cages held three sea lions apiece, Gorman said Sunday.

On Wednesday, a Human Society official blamed “an obvious security lapse” in the trap area, which was closed to the public.

“Those animals did not close the gates by themselves and die,” said Sharon Young, the organization’s field director for marine issues. “Somebody had a hand in killing them. What that person did, nobody knows.”

The sea lions included two endangered Steller sea lions and one California sea lion pup. Only one of the adult California sea lions was on the service’s list of sea lions to be removed.

On Tuesday, the Humane Society, which has sued to block the authorized killing or removal of up to 85 animals a year for five years, agreed with the federal government and the states of Oregon and Washington to continue a ban on killing and to stop permanent removal until next year, in part to allow more efforts to go toward investigating what was thought to be shootings of the animals.

The agreement allowed the governments to continue removing animals and branding them for identification if they are returned to their natural habitat.

Sea lions gather at the dam each spring to eat migrating salmon. Those removed were being sent to aquariums such as Sea World.

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Uh oh...... wrote on May 7, 2008 12:37 PM:

" Maybe it was food poisoning? "

Can you imagine the salmons glee wrote on May 7, 2008 12:44 PM:

" I'll bet there were a lot of happy salmon at the Bonneville over the weekend. Now where is the appology from all the radical-Liberal Democrat eco-terrorist from the Humane Society of the United States who jumped right in to play their blame game. Typical of that group. Sorry is too big a word for them to spell, let alone say. "

Wow wrote on May 7, 2008 12:45 PM:

" I'm sooooo glad no one jumped to conclusions about how the sea lions died... or that no one pointed the finger of blame at anyone or any agency... "

Mr. Crass wrote on May 7, 2008 12:54 PM:

" Maybe they expired from broken hearts from seeing all those salmon make it past them to the ladders in safety... "

Security wrote on May 7, 2008 12:55 PM:

" So I thought they said there was a security breech and they landed by boat on the island and shot the sea lions with a high powered rifle? Great to see security at a high level around the damn......! "

Food Poisoning wrote on May 7, 2008 1:03 PM:

" Yup... from the radio-active, three eyed salmon coming back from Handford. "

ted wrote on May 7, 2008 1:17 PM:

" Since they have now solved this national emergency, I guess that means the National Guard can Stand Down and go home. OUTRAGEOUS! "

To Can you Imagine... wrote on May 7, 2008 1:33 PM:

" "Now where is the appology from all the radical-Liberal Democrat eco-terrorist from the Humane Society of the United States who jumped right in to play their blame game. Typical of that group. Sorry is too big a word for them to spell, let alone say. "

Yeah, because the radical-Conservative Republicans have NEVER done anything like that. I guess "appology" is too hard for a Republican to spell? Or maybe just you? "

Mr. Crass wrote on May 7, 2008 1:45 PM:

" Further analysis indicates that the sea lions died from obesity....From over-eating delicious salmon and sturgeon steaks.... "

Ill bet ... wrote on May 7, 2008 2:01 PM:

" The radical-Liberal Democrat eco-terrorists of the (in)Humane Society of the United States is at the 9th District Court of Appeals right now getting an injunction to stop the salmon migration until this outrageous crime can be solved. I say 7 down (countining the dead one found in Portland) and 79 more to go to fill the NOAA quote. "

What now wrote on May 7, 2008 2:07 PM:

" What, oh what are the knee jerk liberals going to whine about know. Oh wait I am sure it's global warming, yeah that's the ticket. Or maybe George Bush had them killed for their involvement in the destruction of WTC #7. It's all a Neo-Con conspiracy. "

bill wrote on May 7, 2008 2:27 PM:

" Salmon poisoning. "

It doesnt matter wrote on May 7, 2008 2:44 PM:

" How these animals died. It is a good start and should be followed up with several hundred more. The damns are staying, and we should do what is necessary to stop these murderous seals and sea lions from harming one of the Northwests most treasured resources. "

Give me a break... wrote on May 7, 2008 3:06 PM:

" more humans cause the harming of one of the NW's most treasured resources, not seals and sea lions. Let's see, gill netting, mass harvesting, dams, diversion of waterways, etc. The seals and sea lions follow the food, because there is not enough where they naturally hunted. If your so worried about saving the salmon runs, quit over-fishing and wait a few years to start fishing in moderation. I have no problem not eating salmon for a few years. By the way, I'm a republican enviornmentalist. Go figure. "

What wrote on May 7, 2008 4:47 PM:

" TDN really had us going with the sea lions being shot story.Now the sea lion huggers have got to find somebody or something else to blame.I got it Flipper left tv retirement and swam all the way up here to save the salmon. What a dolphin! "

another Alaska wrote on May 7, 2008 6:20 PM:

" " It is just a matter of time before we see bears wandering down to the dam eating our salmon. Another Alaska! Is this any different than the sea lions? And what will be done then? They will be shot because they they are out of their element and because someone could get hurt. Again, how is this any different than the sea lions? Someone is going to loose a limb or even worse, a life when they come up to take a salmon on someones line as they try to land it into the boat. Do we have to wait for that to happen before something is done about them? We thin out the deer and elk because they will die from starvation, disease, or automobile. Again, how is this any different? Thin out the sea lions........put a season on them and sell a tag! The WDFW & ODFW are all about the revenue apparently. In Alaska they thin them out, where is the humane society there? On another note....if the humane society can give a $5000.00 reward for the capture of the person/people accused of killing the sea lions then this tells me that they don't need any more of my donations! I will certainly give my donation to the attorney to defend the people that are fed up with politics and doing something about this problem. The humane society needs to Stick with the domestic animals. " "

Duh wrote on May 7, 2008 6:54 PM:

" So, where do I sign up for my seal hunting license? What would we do with all the deer and elk if they were not hunted? "

JS wrote on May 7, 2008 8:29 PM:

" Anyone see "No Country for Old Men"? Air compressors don't leave bullets. Whoever did this was a sick, cruel excuse for a child of God. "

grizz wrote on May 7, 2008 8:35 PM:

" I'd like to know how much money has been spent on all of this. What a waste of taxpayer money. "

knee jerk liberal or democrat or liberal democrat wrote on May 7, 2008 11:35 PM:

" may be hard to believe for the repubs on here complaining about us "democratic liberals"(air quotes) (the ones that constantly use the phrase 'blame game'-which is just a really annoying thing to say-you know who you are) but a lot of us are all for thinning out the sea lion population. a lot of dems hunt, fish and gather and sometimes even for a living (gasp). you're going to have to get over your ideas that all dems are animal lovers and vegans-cause quite a few of us love meat, hate PETA and are all for getting rid sea lions. "

Yeah... wrote on May 8, 2008 5:48 AM:

" Humans gather by the dams and catch and eat migrating salmon. Can we send some people to Sea World too? "

stink wrote on May 8, 2008 5:59 AM:

" Bush shot the sea lions. "

re DUH wrote on May 8, 2008 8:46 AM:

" about the deer and elk the bleeding hearts have already worked this out,they took away hunting with dogs so the mountain lions and bears can eat them! "

Help Nature feed a polar bear wrote on May 8, 2008 10:11 AM:

" OK, here's an idea that will really help the salmon. Trap the sea lions, take the 86 that NOAA wants to execute and air lift to the Artic. Release them on an ice berg with a starving polar bear. How can the eco-terrorists complain with this idea. We help save the polar bears and the salmon. We lower the sea lion population so that there is enough food and habitat in the ocean from them to survive on without following the salmon into the river. How is that a lose situation for anyone involved? The eco-terrorist groups that are crying about global warming hurting the polar bears would have to be happy with the support we could give the poor, cuddly polar bears. "

RE Knee jerk wrote on May 8, 2008 10:16 AM:

" Well it's a broad brush that you get painted with but then again you vote for the candidates and judges that eco-terrorist Liberal Democrats use to obstruct workable plans, wasting money and not doing one thing to solve the problem. So you get lumped with them. That's just life. I am sure there are many other issues that you deserve your Liberal Democrat tag. It's a tough life, isn't it? Hey maybe a Liberal Democrat actually killed the sea lions? "

PTFerrets wrote on May 8, 2008 11:44 AM:

" When the paper thought they were shot it was FRONT page news. Now that they can't blame it on fishermen or hunters it is in section D, just in front of want ads. "

I think..... wrote on May 8, 2008 12:59 PM:

" ......maybe the salmon got tired of being slaughtered by the sea lions, put together a militia and murdered those poor helpless sea lions. Good job....Killer Salmon. "

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