Federal wildlife authorities are searching for a person of interest in the stabbing of a baby elephant seal on an Oregon beach, leaving it injured with multiple wounds.

The attack happened on Sunday, March 16, between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. in the small, unincorporated community on the central Oregon coast, about 10 miles from Pacific City. The pup received multiple stab wounds but survived, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement.

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