The bullet-riddled carcass of a Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), an endangered sea mammal, was found off the Mavro Lithari beach, southeast of Athens, last week by researchers of the nearby Hellenic Center for Marine Research.

The incident has sparked an investigation by the relevant coast guard station in the region, as the killing of the endangered species is a serious violation of environmental law in the country.

In a later announcement, the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Sea (MoM) expressed its deep sadness “…when we learned that the seal – an adult male – had been intentionally killed with a shotgun; a criminal act that deprived the animal of the right to swim freely in the waters of the Saronic Gulf.”

Officials from the NGO filed a criminal complaint with the coast guard.