25 Walruses Found Beheaded At Alaskan Beach

By R. Siva Kumar - 29 Sep '15 09:36AM

How did 25 walruses die at a beach near Cape Lisburne in Alaska? Federal authorities are investigating the case.

Appallingly, some photographs have been taken of the dead walruses as well as a dozen babies that were shot as well as beheaded, according to msn.

The spokeswoman from the Alaskan Regional Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, Andrea Medeiros, said that the agents were told about the killing on Wednesday through an e-mail, which showed 25 dead walruses. They had been killed 50 miles north of Point Hope, which is located inside the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

"The report stated that there were about 25 walruses killed, including about 12 babies," Medeiros said. "They were reporting that these animals had been shot, and their heads had been taken."

Although the agents tried to rush to the spot, they could arrive only on Thursday, because of the bad weather, according to HNGN.

"Time is of the essence in a case like this," Medeiros added. "You have to get out there and look at the animals, because you have animals that can feed on these carcasses and crime scenes can be damaged by natural feeding."

The walruses could have been killed due to poaching for ivory or their skulls. Another group of walruses had been found dead last week, of which 37 may have been killed due to natural reasons, such as the "extended exposure to harsh seas, or separation of the babies from their mothers", says Washington Times reported.

"We haven't had a chance to go out there and confirm whether they're from this year or last year or identify the cause of death," according to the supervisory biologist and walrus specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, James MacCracken, Ecowatch reported.