Pair caught on camera pelting elephant seal with rocks on California beach

A camera caught two visitors pelting an elephant seal with rocks at Point Reyes National Seashore, the National Park Service said.

A livestream video showed two people hurling rocks toward an elephant seal on the beach at 3:40 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, rangers said in a Friday news release.

Several of the rocks thrown by both people hit the seal, which is a protected marine mammal, rangers said.

A woman with black hair, wearing a white baseball cap, a red and dark-colored jacket with blue and gold accents, and blue jeans, and a man wearing a dark jacket with neon yellow accents, including a neon yellow–lined hood, and carrying a large black DSLR-style camera, were both seen on the livestream throwing rocks.

“The footage shows deliberate throwing actions by both individuals, with multiple rocks striking the elephant seal,” rangers said in the release.

Rangers ask anyone with information to call the National Park Service tip line at 888-653-0009.

What to know about elephant seals

Northern elephant seals weigh up to 2.2 tons at full size and reach up to 13 feet in length, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. They eat squid, fish, rays and sharks.

They live up to 19 years in the wild and are found in Alaska and along the West Coast, the NOAA said. Elephant seals migrate up to 13,000 miles round trip.

What to know about Point Reyes

Point Reyes National Seashore is about a 60-mile drive northwest from San Francisco.

The 70,000-acre seashore is home to “27 threatened and endangered species and a variety of rare or recovering species including the tule elk, California red-legged frog, Sonoma spineflower, northern elephant seal, coho salmon, and western snowy plover.”

It includes 80 miles of coastline in Marin County and also houses the Point Reyes Lighthouse.