A man accused of stabbing a sea lion pup to death has also been charged with attempting to prevent the course of justice. The body of 11-month-old female sea lion Rua was found by Doc near Quarantine Point, north of the Portobello Marine Aquarium on November 6 last year. He faces a charge of taking a "Phocarctos Hookeri" - better known as a New Zealand Hooker sea lion - which has a maximum penalty of two years. The New Zealand sea lion - population about 10,000 - is on the highly critical list. The arrest was the result of a joint investigation between Dunedin police, Doc and the Dunedin Sea Lion Trust, police said.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 02, 2017 22:10 UTC