Then the children approached. They sat next to the unconscious animal. They draped their arms over its body. They smiled for the camera. Parents directed the photo shoot like a professional studio session. “Move closer,” one said. “Put your hand on its head,” said another. The seal did not resist. It could not. It was unconscious from the beating. The tourists got their perfect pictures. Then they walked away, leaving the injured animal to wake up alone in pain.

Local authorities were notified by horrified beachgoers. The seal was eventually treated for head trauma and multiple bruises. It survived, though wildlife rehabilitators say it may never fully recover. The tourists had already left the scene. Security cameras captured their vehicle’s license plate. Arrests are pending. Charges include animal cruelty and illegal harassment of a protected species. The maximum penalty is three years in prison. That is three years. The seal got a lifetime of trauma for a five minute photo shoot.

Specialists have been warning about this for years. A habituated animal is still a wild animal. But this seal was not habituated. It was just resting. It did not approach the tourists. The tourists approached it. They beat it. They photographed it. They left. Truly outrageous does not even begin to cover it. The seal did nothing wrong. The children learned a terrible lesson. And the adults who planned this should be the ones lying unconscious in the sand.