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Santa Maria man charged with killing an elephant seal

August 26, 2020

A Santa Barbara County man was charged Tuesday with fatally shooting a northern elephant seal on a beach near San Simeon. Northern elephant seals are a protected species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Jordan Gerbich, 30, of Santa Maria, is charged with one count of killing a marine mammal.

In Sept. 2019, the corpse of a northern elephant seal was found on a beach near San Simeon close to a popular viewing area along Highway 1 where visitors can observe elephant seals. The animal had been shot in the head.

Investigators believe Gerbich fatally shot the mammal on Sept. 28, 2019.

If convicted of the misdemeanor offense, Gerbich faces a statutory maximum sentence of one year in federal prison.

This matter was investigated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement with substantial assistance provided by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.


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Why was he in San Simeon with a rifle to start with? What were his intentions, purposely going there to kill one? How many people where around that day and heard the shot? I hope you all are okay and did not affect you seriously. I flocking hate the way this county is heading. Doc….where is the time machine?


4

Most wildlife violations are not felonies, just like animal cruelty.

It takes cooperation from everyone to protect wildlife. One idiot who kills an endangered species or catches wild animals to sell in the pet trade can start a chain reaction with disastrous consequences far beyond just the one animal. I think the punishments should be much stronger, strong enough to deter this type of behavior, and I have never understood why this is not the case.


8

No surprise it is just a misdemeanor, if you are a cop you can shoot and kill a family’s dog and nothing happens to you.


-7

This looser is clearly a coward. Shooting a defenseless and beautiful animal.


15

Looser? To quote joe Biden c’mon man


-4

Why? What an idiot…


18

Somehow I am a little shocked that this is only a misdemeanor. I guess it’s because it was “just an sea creature.” But this makes me as sick as if he had shot a human or worse a child! Something is very wrong with this person and someone needs to get him help before he really starts in on humans. He’s sick!


26

Essentially an all-round bad person!


21

Can’t wait to see what he does next…


4