A man has been jailed for four months for attacking a Leopard Seal with rocks while it lay on a Southland beach.
Harley McKenzie was one of three men who attacked the seal then dragged it along the beach by its tail, in October last year. The incident was videotaped and posted on the video website Youtube.
McKenzie was sentenced on Friday in the Invercargill District Court.
The two other men were fined $5,000 and $7,000 each, earlier this year, for their part in the attack.
The Department of Conservation brought the charge and a spokesperson says the jail term sends a strong message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated.
The seal survived and was observed swimming away from the beach several days after the attack.
