The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced on Friday that they will be giving a $21,000 reward for anyone who could help find those responsible in the killing three southern sea otters.
The sea otters are classified as threatened species and they thrive along the Central California coast. On September last year, a male otter were found dead on the Asilomar State Beach at the Monterey County. Two days later, two more male otters were also found dead on the same area. Two of the otters sustained a gunshot wound on the head, while the other one has a gunshot wound on its back, Utah People's Post reports.
The California sea otters became threatened species when they were rigorously hunted by traders who sold them for their pelts. In 1990, only 50 sea otters living in the Big Sur survived. The sea otters were officially included in the list of Endangered Species act in the year 1977. Killing or hunting sea otters are illegal and it is punishable by state and federal laws. According to the Endangered Species Act, killing endangered species may lead to a maximum fine of $50,000 and one-year jail time.
"We want to bring things full circle and find the people responsible for this act," said Charge Rebecca Roca, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Resident Agent in an interview with Utah People's Post. Roca is also in charge of the investigation.
The Defenders for Wildlife, an organization protecting all native animals and plants in the North, argued that the killings of the otters can be considered as an act of barbarism. According to the organization website, the sea otters have a greater role in the environment compared to other species as they help maintain the balance in the kelp ecosystem which provide food and shelter to other animals.
