A child has confessed to killing a dolphin off the coast of Florida with a bow and arrow before its body washed ashore, federal agents said.
The bottlenose dolphin died of an infection caused by the hunting arrow lodged into its body at least five days after being shot.
The bow used to shoot the dolphin has been confiscated by NOAA investigators, but the identity of its owner has not been disclosed, according to a statement released by NOAA.
Because the suspect is a juvenile, NOAA has not identified the child nor the charges they may face. Violators can face criminal charges and fines up to $100,000.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the harassment, taking or serious injury of mammals such as dolphins in U.S. waters.
The sub-adult male had been found floating along Orange Beach in Alabama on Dec. 6 and sparked a $24,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
A tip led NOAA investigators to the suspect, NOAA spokeswoman Kim Amendola told the Daily News, unlike a shooting of a pregnant dolphin along Miramar Beach in Florida before Thanksgiving which has not been solved.
