The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement said a witness reported seeing a person decapitate the dead animal before leaving the area.

The suspect was seen using an 8-inch black knife to remove the sea lion’s head, placing it in a clear plastic bag, and riding away, authorities said.

LOS ANGELES - A bike rider who decapitated a dead sea lion over Christmas and rode off with the animal’s head in a clear plastic bag was being hunted in the US on M arch 13. Officials were offering US$20,000 (S$26,700) for information leading to the conviction of the man who sliced the creature’s head off on a California beach.