Sickening footage shows the moment a group of tourists beat a seal unconscious on a beach so children could take pictures of it.
The shocking incident was filmed in the village of Kuryk, Kazakhstan located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, and shared online.
In the clip a group of men, believed to be tourists, can be seen attacking the animal with sticks and boulders after it came close to the shore.
The incident takes place in front of a crowd of people who do nothing to stop the violence.
The brutal attack lasted until the surrounded animal lost consciousness, according to reports.
An unnamed witness said to local media: ”They beat the seal up until it passed out. Then they pulled it out of the water so that children could take pictures and have fun. After that, they threw the motionless body back into the sea. I don’t know if it survived.” A similar incident happened 43 miles away in the city of Aktau.
In the video, a group of tourists can be seen pelting stones and rocks at a baby seal after the curious animal approached them.
Model Yevgeniya Mukasheva then shared the clip to her followers with the caption: ”If an animal comes close to you, it means it trusts you.
”How could you throw stones at the defenceless pup and laugh? Have you lost your mind?!”
Commenting on the incident, Kazakh authorities expressed their disapproval and urged everyone to show respect to the environment.
Saken Dildakhmet, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources told: ”The way people acted in the video is outrageous and wild.
”Such an attitude can cause a great damage to the fauna of the Caspian Sea and adversely affect the behaviour of these animals who may become aggressive and attack people.
”We ask you to show respect to nature.”
The seals are curious animals and they often approach people, say the environment authorities.
Mr Dildakhmet added: ”The seal in the clip is young and playful. The seals are mostly very friendly and curious marine mammals. We should admire them.”
Police are now looking for the perpetrators involved in both cases which carry a maximum penalty of two years in jail.
Kazakh media say some swimmers were bitten by seals and taken to hospital for a rabies shot in the same Mangistau region in June.
The incident could have sparked the violent reaction from the people in the videos, reports NURKZ.
SOURCE
Daily Mirror
