Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is offering NZ$11,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the brutal December 2010 clubbing of 23 fur seals at the Kaikoura colony in New Zealand’s South Island.

Centuries ago, about two million fur seals lived around the New Zealand coast, but in the early 1800s, due to the hunting of seals, they were nearly wiped out. Seals were given full protection by the New Zealand government in 1849.

Under New Zealand’s Marine Mammals Protection Act of 1978, there are penalties of up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to NZ$250,000 for killing or harming fur seals or other marine mammals, plus a further fine of up to NZ$10,000 for every marine mammal against whom the offense was committed.

Although a price cannot be placed on the lives of these precious creatures, Sea Shepherd will award the person who steps forward with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the vicious slaughter of these eight pups, two bulls and thirteen female seals in the amount of NZ$500 per each lost life.

These person(s) responsible committed a criminal act. Anyone who could do such a thing is a low-life coward capable of extreme cruelty, and thus a potential danger, not just to wildlife, but to humans also.

If you have any information on who may be responsible, please make a report to the New Zealand Department of Conservation by calling 0800 DOCHOTline (0800 362 468) or to your local police. Be sure to tell them about Sea Shepherd’s reward program.

People with information may also contact Sea Shepherd at: inform-us@seashepherd.org. Reports to Sea Shepherd will be kept confidential upon request. Sea Shepherd will not disclose the name of anyone who comes forward with evidence that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible without the express written permission of the informant.

In order to claim your reward if the suspected seal killer(s) are convicted, please ask the law enforcement agency involved in the case to write a letter to Sea Shepherd. The letter should state that your tip helped lead to the arrest and conviction of the seal killer(s). The letter should be mailed or faxed to:

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
P.O. Box 2616
Friday Harbor, WA 98250 USA 
fax: +1 360-370-5651