The Department of Conservation says it will prosecute two men following a brutal attack on a baby fur seal in a tidal creek in West Auckland.
Police say witnesses saw two men beating the seal with boat oars in Henderson Creek about 8.30pm on Monday.
The Department of Conservation says it is sickened by the beating of a defenceless animal and is leading the prosecution.
It says it is working with police and hopes to charge two Henderson men, aged 39 and 22, later this week.
The one-metre-long seal being treated at Auckland Zoo.
DoC says seals are fully protected under the Marine Mammals Protection Act and there are strong penalties, with fines of up to $250,000 and six months' jail for hurting them.
The department says it gets three or four calls a year about attacks on seals.
