Crime & Safety
Man Gets Prison Time For Fatally Shooting Elephant Seal In Head
The elephant seal was found on the beach with a bullet hole in its head, prosecutors said. The man's motive is unclear.
CENTRAL COAST, CA — A Utah man was sentenced to three months in federal prison for fatally shooting a northern elephant seal in the head at a beach near San Simeon.
Jordan Gerbich, 30, pleaded guilty in December to a misdemeanor count of illegally taking a marine mammal, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced Monday.
He was also sentenced to a year of supervised release and three months in home detention and was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service and to pay a $1,000 fine.
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Gerbich lived in Santa Maria in Santa Barbara County in September 2019 at the time of the attack, prosecutors said. He drove to an elephant seal viewing area near the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and used a .45-caliber pistol to shoot an elephant seal in the head, prosecutors said.
Northern elephant seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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Gerbich's motive remained unclear, prosecutors said.
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