#monk seal

Thirty-four Hawaiian monk seal pups were born in the main Hawaiian Islands in 2024, and three pups have already been born this year. Officials say the public should give mothers with pups at least 150 feet of space on land and in the water—moms can be protective if they think you’re too close.

Human interactions with a recently entangled monk seal pup on Hawaiʻi Island has prompted outreach to fishers and boaters. The five-month-old female Hawaiian monk seal, named Keaka (tag number T64/T65), has been a frequent visitor to Honokōhau Small Boat Harbor in recent days.

The current closure of the shoreline of Mokulua Nui, the larger of the two Mokulua offshore islets on the windward side of Oʻahu, will end on Oct. 7, 2024. The DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife closed public access to the islet on July 13 to facilitate the safe birth and growth of a Hawaiian monk seal.

A Hawaiian monk seal born on Mokulua Nui in in 2018 has delivered her first pup on the same islet. The birth of this pup to Wailea (RJ30), was confirmed on Friday, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The twin Mokulua offshore islets are state wildlife sanctuaries.

Lei Day pup PO5 (Paʻaki) is six weeks old today, and the young pup is officially weaned, according to an update provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries division. NOAA Fisheries also confirmed that Paʻaki is a female—which is hopeful news for continued Hawaiian monk seal population recovery.

In an announcement from NOAA Fisheries, the first Hawaiian monk seal pup born on Oʻahu in 2024 has been spotted.

The Maui Nui Marine Resource Council presents: Conservation of the Hawaiian Monk Seal: How Efforts are Saving a Species, June 7, at 5:30 p.m. The virtual event is part of the organization’s Know Your Ocean Speaker Series.

Caution signs are being removed from Kaimana Beach on Oʻahu, after crews moved a Hawaiian monk seal pup over the weekend.  A wide cordon (roped perimeter) was established for Pualani and her mother from the time the pup was born on April 14 to help protect the pair during the pup’s weaning process. Narrow strips […]

Eighteen people were cited Saturday night for being in a closed area, in violation of Ka‘ena Point State Park closure hours; and five others were cited for not having special access permits.

The recently named Hawaiian monk seal pup, Pualani (previously known as PO5) will be relocated from Kaimana Beach in Waikīkī after she is weaned, according to NOAA. The pup was born to mother seal Kaʻiwi in mid-April. 

DLNR officials said the couple violated the department’s safe viewing guidelines and called the situation “a recipe for trouble,” especially with a pet dog present around a wild monk seal.

A 52-year-old man was cited Tuesday by a trio of State and federal agencies after his dog was captured on videotape harassing a Hawaiian monk seal at Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park on Oct. 10.

A juvenile monk seal found on Maui’s Oneloa Beach in Kapalua last month, was released after undergoing surgery to remove an ingested fishing hook. 

The animal was spotted March 30 on Maui’s Oneloa Beach in Kapalua. Photos from a zoom lens showed 3-4 feet of monofilament line trailing from the seal’s mouth.

This comes following the death of a young female seal found dead on the south shore of the island on Sunday, Sept. 19. The seal was identified by a temporary bleach mark on her side, as “L11,” one of the pups born on the island in 2020. 

To increase its chances of survival, an Hawaiian monk seal pup named Lōliʻi was transferred in June from people crowded Waikīkī Beach to a wildlife protected beach at Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi on Oʻahu.

The public is invited to learn more about Hawaiian monk seals at a free presentation entitled “Saving a Species: Rehabilitation as a Conservation Tool for Hawaiian Monk Seals” on Wednesday, Aug. 4 at 5:30 p.m. HST via Zoom where two special guests from The Marine Mammal Center’s dedicated hospital for monk seals, Ke Kai Ola, on Hawaiʻi Island will highlight their conservation and outreach work.

“I want to be clear that this behavior is absolutely unacceptable. Visitors to our islands – you’re asked to respect our people, culture, and laws protecting endangered species that are found nowhere else in the world,” Gov. Ige wrote.

Miyamoto is recounting his story to try and convince swimmers, snorkelers, and paddlers to stay out of the ocean fronting O‘ahu’s Kaimana beach, where currently a mother seal named Kaiwi and her three-week old offspring are resting, in full view of hundreds of daily beach goers.

The state is reminding the public not to disturb endangered Hawaiian monk seals after learning of three incidents in as many days.