Doc Dunedin operations manager Annie Wallace said a photograph of a seal at Shag Point, in North Otago, the department received early this week ``looks suspiciously like human intervention'' and she was ``absolutely'' interested in anyone with information contacting the department.
``We don't know what happened, clearly, but it definitely looks like there's been some human intervention there,'' Ms Wallace said.
``We're disgusted by it. These are special marine mammals that we are lucky to have living on our coast, we need to learn to live together with them.''
The dead seal was discovered ``around a reasonably inaccessible place'' about 50m east of the Doc viewing area at Shag Point, on a rocky outcrop about 7m above the waterline.
``And the seal couldn't have washed there after decapitation. It looks like a place that you could access, but it's fairly well hidden away,'' she said.
The department was talking to contacts in the Shag Point and Moeraki area.
If the seal's death was found to be human-caused, the person or persons responsible could be charged under the Marine Mammals Protection Act.
The Dunedin man who took the photo, Andrew Ginther, said he did not realise he was taking a photo of a gruesome scene at the time.
It was one of the last photographs the master of fine arts student, and sometime wildlife photographer, took on a stop at Shag Point with his partner and a friend last weekend.
There were about a dozen tourists in the area but the animal was far enough away that ``you couldn't make out with the naked eye what was going on''.
There were 47 seals in the area that day, but this seal was ``isolated out in its own place''.
When he edited the photograph, taken with a telephoto lens, the following morning, he ``just kind of jumped'', seeing for the first time the seal was ``clearly decapitated''.
He suspected human intervention and contacted Doc and the Otago Daily Times in the hopes more awareness would lead to more information, which would lead to a conviction of the person or persons responsible.
``I think a lot of people get very upset when this happens to seals, or any kind of wildlife, but I think it's pretty disgusting myself.''
A 53-year-old man faces charges after the dead body of the 11-month-old female sea lion named Rua was found near Quarantine Point, north of the Portobello Marine Aquarium, on November 6, 2016.
