Sad News About Elephant Seals

I recently wrote about the elephant seals at San Simeon, and then about one particular wandering seal who found his way across Route 1 and onto the grounds of the Hearst Ranch. Eventually, he was coaxed safely back across the road to the rookery.

Last Saturday, three elephant seals were found shot to death there. It's hard to imagine who would do such a thing or why they would want to do it.

I learned that early in the last century, elephant seals were thought to be extinct, but one small rookery remained on an island off Lower California. The seals at San Simeon are descendants of that group.

There is a $25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the shooter of the elephant seals.