The authorities said that the attack, which the seal survived, occurred on a cold evening in a cove along the Pacific Coast.

The agency's law enforcement office, which is investigating the attack, was searching for a "person of interest" spotted by a witness.

A baby elephant seal was stabbed multiple times on an Oregon beach, federal officials said. Now, authorities are looking for the attacker. The incident happened between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on March 16, the National Ocean Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement said in a May 5 news release.