Big Island police are seeking the public's help in identifying a suspect who shot a horse in a pasture above Pahala.

Police said the horse was shot during the May 4-5 weekend and they suspect a .22 caliber weapon was used. The horse had to be destroyed, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Augustine Akiu Jr. of the Ka'u Patrol, (808) 939-2520, or the police non-emergency number, (808) 935-3311.

Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 in Hilo or (808) 329-8181 in Kona.

Coast Guard rescuing two men

Coast Guard rescue crews were scrambling today to rescue ailing seamen in two separate cases, the first due to be flown in from Christmas Island tonight.

That patient, a 30-year-old Filipino national aboard the Honolulu fishing vessel Seeker II, is believed to be suffering from appendicitis, said Coast Guard spokesman Chief Joseph Curcio. A Coast Guard C-130 airplane arrived at Christmas Island this morning to pick him up, he said.

But it's the second man, a 39-year-old Chinese national aboard the Chinese cargo boat Tai Shan Hai 700 miles away, who is deemed the greater medical risk due to a severe bleeding ulcer, Curcio said.

The Coast Guard cutter Assateague is being dispatched today to make a sea rescue because the vessel is 700 miles north of Hawai'i with no landfall within reach, Curcio said. The earliest the Assateague is expected to return with the man is tomorrow night, he said.

The Coast Guard could have shaved three hours off the rescue time by sending a helicopter when the boat is 100 miles away, Curcio said, but the ship's medic said the trauma from being hoisted would be riskier than the wait.