The Department of Conservation is investigating after a beachgoer found a protected leopard seal shot in the head.
Shane Searle found the dead animal on a beach near Dargaville on Friday morning. He had seen the same seal the day before, and was shocked someone would needlessly kill it.
The
seal had been shot in the face.
"Especially when it was alive and looking so healthy the day before," Searle told the Herald.
"There are a lot of stupid people in this world, and people do things they don't think about at the time. And when it has actually happened they may have a bit of regret now, but it's a bit late … once you pull that trigger, she's pretty certain."
