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Hawaiian Monk Seal Updates 2020
2020 monk seal updates from NOAA Fisheries in the Pacific Islands.
Reward for Information About Recent Kaua'i Seal Deaths
November 24, 2020
You may receive a reward of up to $20,000 if you provide information about a violation that leads to the issuance of a civil penalty or criminal conviction.
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Monk seal near Anahola Beach Park, Kauaʻi. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
The NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) is seeking information about the recent deaths of two Hawaiian monk seals along the shoreline of the Anahola area on the northeast shore of Kauaʻi around September 10 and November 18, 2020.
"The intentional killing of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal is a violation of federal law,” said Assistant Director Martina Sagapolu of OLE’s Pacific Islands Division. “It is our hope that this reward will encourage someone to provide us with the information needed to arrest and convict those who would commit such a heinous act."
OLE is investigating the causes of the two recent deaths on Kauaʻi and has sent enforcement personnel to Kauaʻi to investigate. OLE encourages anyone who may have information about the seal deaths to call the OLE hotline: 1-800-853-1964. A reward of up to $20,000 may be paid if you provide information about a violation regarding a monk seal that leads to the issuance of a civil penalty or criminal conviction.
Hawaiian monk seals are protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, with about 1,400 estimated alive today. Under the ESA, it is illegal to unlawfully “take,” meaning to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct with respect to any endangered species or wildlife listed on the Endangered Species List. NOAA Fisheries encourages the public to report all monk seal sightings to its statewide hotline: 888-256-9840.
The mission of NOAA OLE is to ensure compliance with the laws and regulations enacted to conserve and protect our nation’s marine resources. Those with information about the death of these endangered Hawaiian monk seals should contact the NOAA OLE enforcement hotline at 1-800-853-1964.
Looking a little green from algae accumulation, RL52 takes a snooze on some rocks. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.
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RL52 resting on the sandy shores of Kaua‘i. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.
NOAA Fisheries is saddened to report the death of RL52, a yearling male monk seal. He was found dead on September 10, 2020, along the Anahola coastline on Kaua‘i. It’s unknown how RL52 died. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) and DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) are currently investigating the matter. RL52 was last seen on August 31, 2020 at North Larsen’s Beach, and he was in good body condition.
If you have any information regarding the death of this seal, please contact DOCARE at (808) 643-DLNR, or use the DLNRTip app. You can also call the OLE hotline at (800) 853-1964.
Please report all monk seal sightings, injuries, and strandings to the Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at (888) 256-9840.
RJ36 on a Kauaʻi beach with a fishing line trailing from his mouth. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.
We regret to report the unfortunate death of RJ36, a three-year-old male Hawaiian monk seal on Kauaʻi. On June 22, 2020, a concerned Kauaʻi resident discovered RJ36 in distress. The seal was lying on the beach and appeared to be struggling to breathe. Six feet of fishing line visibly trailed from the mouth and ended in a pigtail swivel, a type of gear commonly used for slide-bait fishing. The concerned citizen immediately contacted the marine mammal stranding hotline. Response staff quickly mobilized, but the seal died before they arrived on scene. The team retrieved the seal's body and NOAA preserved it for a future post-mortem exam.
Ingested hooks can be fatal for some seals, such as if the hook pierces a vital organ. Fortunately, early public reporting of hooked seals often provides response teams with enough time to successfully administer life-saving interventions. A post-mortem exam will evaluate the role the hook and other potential factors played in RJ36’s death.
RJ36 was born to the well-known female RK30 on the Nāpali Coast in 2017. Over the next 3 years, he became a somewhat regular seal on the south and west shores, easily identified by his red J36 and J37 plastic flipper tags.
NOAA and DLNR encourage the public to follow the guidelines for fishing around seals and turtles. These guidelines include watching your fishing gear closely and temporarily removing it if seals are in the area, never feeding seals, and using barbless hooks. If you do hook a seal, cut the line as close to the animal as possible to remove trailing gear. Report it to NOAA’s marine mammal stranding hotline at (888) 256-9840.
PK1, the first main Hawaiian Islands born pup of 2020. Born on the island of Kaua‘i. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.
The 2020 Hawaiian monk seal pupping season is going by quickly! Since the beginning of the year, 18 monk seal pups were born in the main Hawaiian Islands: 5 on Oʻahu, 11 on Molokaʻi, and 1 each on Kaua‘i and Hawaiʻi Island. This follows a record-breaking pupping year in 2019, which saw 48 pups born in the main Hawaiian Islands (including Ni‘ihau).
While monk seal pups can be born any time of year, the number of births peak in spring and summer. Monk seals moms typically nurse their pups for 5 to 7 weeks, feeding them milk rich in fat that will increase their weight from 30 pounds at birth to nearly 200 pounds! During this time, the mother loses a great amount of weight and will abruptly wean the pup before departing to sea to forage and regain her strength. The pup will live off of its body fat as it practices foraging. It will venture farther and farther from the sands of its birth beach, eventually departing to forage at sea. Most females return to the beaches on which they were born to birth their own pups.
Left: Hawaiian monk seal RF34's pup was the first to be born on O‘ahu of 2020. Photo: NOAA Fisheries. Right: Hawaiian monk seal RK48 and pup. Photo: National Park Service.
We usually do not disclose pupping locations. This helps maintain a calm environment with as little disturbance as possible to mom-pup pairs. While monk seals aren't typically considered aggressive, a nursing mom can be very protective. For some mom-pup pairs, this year was quieter than usual, due to the closure of various beach parks between late March and mid-May. Despite a reduced monitoring presence, staff and volunteers continued to perform spot checks, and all pups born during this time weaned successfully.
Beaches have been open for several weeks now. We ask members of the public enjoying Hawai‘i shorelines to view wildlife responsibly, keep dogs leashed, and maintain your distance from monk seals, especially moms and pups, for your safety and their protection. We would also like to remind the public to call 888-256-9840 to report sightings of Hawaiian monk seals or injured marine mammals and sea turtles.
Hawaiian monk seal, R313, resting on the rocky shores of Kaua'i
For the second time in a week, we have to share the unfortunate news that a Hawaiian monk seal has passed away. Pregnant adult female R313 was found dead at Hā'ena Beach, Kaua'i, on April 25, 2020. She was first identified on Kaua'i in 2009 and was at least 15 years old at the time of her death. The lifespan for a Hawaiian monk seal is 25–30 years, though a few individuals have lived longer. The loss of a female seal with many potential breeding years ahead of her is a setback to population recovery of this endangered species.
R313 was never observed with a pup. However, staff and volunteers with NOAA and the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources tracked her growing large and appearing pregnant on a number of occasions. She would then leave for about 6–8 weeks and return very thin, as though she had just weaned a pup. We assume that, like many Kaua'i seals, she went to a remote location on Ni'ihau to have her pups.
Hawaiian monk seal, R313, sunbathing on beach rocks.
Our marine mammal and sea turtle stranding network partners have had to make operational decisions based on COVID-19 that impact our ability to respond to strandings and entanglement incidents. We used the fewest number of people possible, followed social distancing protocols, and used personal protective equipment while transporting the carcass to a remote location for burial. As in the case of R5AY (“Honey Girl”), who passed away a few days previously on O'ahu, our ability to conduct the typical post-mortem examinations (including a necropsy) was extremely limited. Adult monk seals, especially pregnant females, can weigh more than 500 pounds and may require a large team for transportation and necropsy.
In R313’s case, however, we were able to preserve her fetus and placenta and will perform necropsy and sampling as soon as it’s feasible. It is possible that this could provide us with additional information related to her cause of death. The most common causes of death in main Hawaiian Islands monk seals include fisheries interactions, trauma, and toxoplasmosis. Based on our limited examination, we cannot rule any of these out at this time. However, if her death was disease related we may be able to determine that from examining her fetus. There were no external signs of trauma such as wounds, but not all trauma is externally visible. There is currently no evidence to support claims that seals, whales, sea lions, or other marine mammals are infected with COVID-19.
The public should continue to report all sightings of stranded animals to the hotline: (888) 256-9840. As always, if you see a stranded monk seal, cetacean, or sea turtle, stay back a safe distance and follow marine wildlife viewing guidelines.
NOAA would like to extend our thanks to the Ocean Safety lifeguards and members of the local community who assisted with the response.
One of O'ahu's Most Well-Known Seals Has Passed Away
April 27, 2020
R5AY/Honey Girl rests on a beach in 2006. She was estimated to be at least 23 years old at the time of her death. The lifespan for a Hawaiian monk seal is between 25-30 years of age, although a few individuals have lived beyond 30 years.
We are grieving the loss of a very special monk seal today. One of O‘ahu’s most well-known Hawaiian monk seals, R5AY (also known as Honey Girl), was found deceased on the windward side of O‘ahu on April 23, 2020. She was first identified on Kaua‘i in 2002 as an adult. She was at least 23 years old—and perhaps much older—at the time of her death. Honey Girl was frequently sighted and popular with O‘ahu residents, especially in the North Shore and windward communities where she was a long-time resident.
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R5AY/Honey Girl's 2012 release following surgery to remove part of her tongue, which had been lacerated by fishing line and become infected.
Our marine mammal and sea turtle stranding network partners have had to make operational decisions based on COVID-19 that impact our ability to respond to strandings and entanglement incidents. In order to decrease safety risks to members of the public, including the possibility of attracting sharks to the area or drawing a crowd of onlookers into close proximity with each other, NOAA worked with partners to move the carcass. We used the fewest number of people possible, followed social distancing protocols, and used personal protective gear. We transported Honey Girl to a safe and respectful location at Kualoa Ranch for burial. A Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner performed a pule (blessing) for Honey Girl.
Our ability to conduct the typical post-mortem examinations (including a necropsy) was extremely limited. As a result, our ability to determine Honey Girl’s cause of death is highly constrained. The most common causes of death in main Hawaiian Islands monk seals include fisheries interactions, trauma, and toxoplasmosis. Based on our limited examination, we cannot rule any of these out. There were no external signs of trauma such as wounds, but not all trauma is externally visible. Although blood was observed coming from the nose and mouth, this is not a clear indication of any specific cause of death. Trauma and fisheries interactions, such as entanglement, drowning, or hook ingestion, can affect seals of any age or sex. However, toxoplasmosis primarily affects female seals.
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R5AY/Honey Girl undergoing anesthesia for surgery to remove a portion of her tongue in 2012.
Honey Girl was thought to be pregnant at the time of her death, and at least two seals that have previously died from toxoplasmosis in the past were also pregnant. She had successfully given birth to many pups, so death due to other pregnancy complications is unlikely. Despite her age, Honey Girl was in excellent nutritional condition, and we do not have any information to suggest her health was failing because she was at the end of her life. There is currently no evidence to support claims that seals, whales, sea lions, or other marine mammals are infected with COVID-19.
Honey Girl frequented both O‘ahu and Kaua‘i the first few years after she was initially spotted. After 2005, she spent the vast majority of her time on the shores of O‘ahu, though she was sighted once on Moloka‘i in 2017. In 2012, she was rescued and rehabilitated because a fishing line entanglement caused deep lacerations and infection in her tongue. She was severely emaciated by the time she was caught, and she had a blanket of algae growing on her fur. Veterinarians performed surgery to remove almost half of her damaged tongue, and she was rehabilitated briefly at the Waikīkī Aquarium. She was released back into the wild and went on to give birth to five more pups in her lifetime.
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R5AY/Honey Girl with pup RT10 in 2010.
She gave birth to a total of 12 pups between 2005 and 2019, two of which went on to have successful pups of their own. Although only two of her offspring are known to be alive today (RA20 and RK80), her legacy continues on through her grand-pups. Learn more about Honey Girl in this Monk Seal of the Month feature story from 2017.
The public should continue to report all sightings of stranded animals to the hotline: (888) 256-9840. As always, if you see a stranded monk seal, cetacean, or sea turtle, stay back a safe distance and follow marine wildlife viewing guidelines.
NOAA would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the partners who assisted with this response in various ways, including Hawai‘i Marine Animal Response, the Hawai‘i Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, the City and County of Honolulu Division of Roads Maintenance, Kualoa Ranch, and the Hawaiian practitioner who performed cultural protocol.
Pohaku Passes Away After Fight Against Toxoplasmosis
April 2, 2020
RO28/Pōhaku and pup RKA6 on a beach in Kauaʻi. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.
NOAA Fisheries and The Marine Mammal Center are deeply saddened to confirm that the monk seal known as Pōhaku (RO28) passed away on April 1, 2020 after a 10-week-long battle with a deadly parasitic disease known as toxoplasmosis.
Pōhaku was originally rescued on January 22, 2020 and brought into care under the supervision of NOAA Fisheries veterinary staff at the Inouye Regional Center in Honolulu for assessment and treatment. She was subsequently diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, a disease caused by infection with Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that reproduces in the digestive system of cats and spreads oocysts (eggs) into the environment via cat feces.
With help from the U.S. Coast Guard, Pōhaku was transferred to Ke Kai Ola, The Marine Mammal Center’s hospital for Hawaiian monk seals at Kailua-Kona, for further rehabilitation on February 19, 2020. This action occurred after NOAA determined she had stabilized enough for transport and would benefit from the Center’s ability to provide longer-term rehabilitative care.
Experts at Ke Kai Ola administered a series of medical treatments to Pōhaku over a several-week period to try to slow the rate of infection. During that time, Pōhaku regained some stamina and movement, and she showed some encouraging signs but those were short-lived. Her movement and appetite never fully recovered, and despite painstaking efforts to entice her to eat on her own, she also lost weight. Toxoplasmosis is known to cause long-term impacts to the brain, which are obscure and difficult to measure, but likely played a role in her ultimate decline. The intensive care measures and medications that were required to save her life and keep her hydrated probably also took a toll.
RO28/Pōhaku and pup RJ28 resting on a beach in Kauai. Photo: NOAA Fisheries.
After Pōhaku passed away, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner from Oʻahu with a long-standing personal connection to the seal provided a pule (blessing) over the phone. In this time of restricted travel and social interaction due to COVID-19, it was incredibly meaningful to be able to remotely bring the animal care team and members of the community together.
A post-mortem examination was conducted by staff at Ke Kai Ola, and NOAA provided support from afar. We will continue to work with the Ke Kai Ola team to analyze samples and learn as much as possible from Pōhaku. We will provide updates on the results as they become available.
There are some simple things you can do to help prevent T. gondii from getting into the environment and impacting endangered Hawaiian monk seals like Pōhaku from toxoplasmosis:
Keep your cats safely indoors.
Dispose of cat feces and litter in the trash.
Call our Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at (888) 256-9840 to report sick or injured monk seals.
NOAA is grateful to The Marine Mammal Center and other partners who played a role in Pōhaku’s treatment and care. To say it takes a village would be an understatement. While the outcome in her case was extremely unfortunate, we all hope that what we’ve learned from Pōhaku, and what we will continue to learn, can be applied to saving the lives of seals in the future.
Monk Seal RO28 Brought in for Evaluation and Observation
UPDATE: February 6, 2020
RO28 swimming in a NOAA rehabilitation pool.
Over the past week, RO28 has begun to gradually improve. She remains in intensive care and requires daily treatment in order to receive essential medications, vitamins, antioxidants, and nutritional support. Some of the medications in her treatment regimen are used in other animals or humans to treat toxoplasmosis (or similar infections). It is difficult to administer these treatments to a 500-pound wild seal, requiring a team of 5–6 people each day. Fortunately, all this hard work is starting to make a difference. This week, her strength improved enough that she was able to swim in the rehabilitation pool. She even consumed a handful of fish during her swims—an appetite is another sign that she is starting to respond positively to treatment.
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RO28 swimming in on-site rehabilitation pool
Sadly, she remains so compromised that she cannot exit the pool without support and is very tired after these swims. But the team continues to work hard to minimize stress and provide her with an environment that balances her medical needs, safety, and comfort. RO28’s fight against toxoplasmosis is far from over, but we are happy to report a few signs of improvement for now.
We would like to extend our immense gratitude this week to partners at Oceanic Institute for donating some mullet to entice RO28 to eat during her swim time and again to Ke Kai Ola for continued support.
UPDATE: January 30, 2020
RO28 receiving treatment from NOAA and Ke Kai Ola animal care team. Permit #18786.
Since RO28/Pōhaku’s arrival at the NOAA Fisheries facility on January 22, 2020, our veterinary staff have been working diligently to care for RO28. They believe they have determined what might be afflicting her: Test results strongly indicate that she is suffering from toxoplasmosis. Despite aggressive treatment, she is very lethargic, a sign that the infection is causing pain and severe inflammation throughout her internal organs.
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by infection with Toxoplasmagondii, a parasite that reproduces in the digestive system of cats and spreads oocysts (eggs) into the environment via cat feces. Feral cats, of which there are an estimated 50,000 to 300,000 on the island of Oʻahu alone, are the primary source of T. gondii oocysts in Hawaiʻi.
Monk seals are exposed to oocysts by consuming contaminated prey or water. T.gondii organisms can cause organ failure by destroying vital tissues, such as muscle, liver, heart, and brain tissues. There is currently no vaccine for toxoplasmosis and treatment options for infected seals are extremely limited, risky, and untested in this species. What’s more, treating the disease requires a long course of intensive care, which is very taxing to the monk seal patient. To date, 11 Hawaiian monk seals are known to have died as a direct result of this disease; however, because more seals disappear than are found dead, it is likely toxoplasmosis has caused many more seal deaths.
Toxoplasmosis doesn’t just affect monk seals. Other marine and terrestrial species in Hawaiʻi, including spinner dolphins and ʻalalā (Hawaiian crow), have been killed as a result of this disease. You can help reduce the transmission of toxoplasmosis by making your cat an indoor cat. Learn more about this disease and what you can do to help prevent toxoplasmosis from affecting marine wildlife.
Most monk seals with toxoplasmosis are found dead without warning. Only two seals have been rescued prior to death, but, unfortunately, they both succumbed to the disease within 48 hours of rescue. Now, seven days into treatment, RO28 has survived longer than any other monk seal patient we've treated. However, we are very guarded in our optimism: RO28’s prognosis is still poor given the aggressive nature of this disease and RO28’s lethargic condition in intensive care.
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RO28 receiving treatment from a joint NOAA and Ke Kai Ola animal care team. Permit #18786.
NOAA continues to work hard to save RO28. As we do, we wish to express thanks to all of the partners near and far that have expedited tests, contributed resources, provided support and expertise, and sent thoughtful well wishes—especially the local community, Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response, VCA Kaneohe Animal Hospital, University of California Davis, University of Illinois Zoological Pathology Program, The Marine Mammal Center - Ke Kai Ola, Hawaiʻi Kai Veterinary Clinic, Antech Labs, and Veterinary + Emergency Referral Center Hawaiʻi.
January 23, 2020
RO28 sleeping on a west side beach, looking a little green prior to molting. Photo credit: HMAR.
An adult female monk seal, RO28 (Pōhaku), was captured on January 22, 2020, and is currently under the care of NOAA Fisheries veterinary staff. On January 19, 2020, a volunteer with the Hawai‘i Marine Animal Response (HMAR) volunteer network observed RO28 exhibiting a behavior called “logging” in the Ko Olina area. Logging means a seal is floating on the surface of the ocean, acting lethargic, and not actively swimming. This behavior can indicate that a seal is injured or has underlying health problems. Some seals, including RO28, occasionally exhibit this behavior for short periods of time (up to a few hours) even when they appear healthy. After monitoring her condition and behavior, the decision was made to bring her into our NOAA Fisheries facility for further evaluation. We will provide an update on her status once test results are received. We sincerely appreciate HMAR’s support with this effort.
RKC1 resting on a rocky shoreline shortly after his release from rehabilitation. Photo credit: HMAR.
NOAA Fisheries is saddened to report that juvenile monk seal RKC1 (also known as “Sole”) was found dead in Lāʻie, Oʻahu, on the afternoon of January 26, 2020. In 2018, RKC1 was rescued as a prematurely weaned pup on Molokaʻi and was successfully rehabilitated at The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola facility in Kona. After his rehabilitation, he was released near his birth site on Molokaʻi and was sighted on Oʻahu shortly thereafter. He was seen only a handful of times since then, and we believe he spent most of his time on small offshore islets. We conducted a postmortem examination to determine cause of death, and will provide updates on the results as they become available.
Monk Seal Pup RL36 Found Deceased on O'ahu (Update)
January 10, 2020
NOAA would like to share what we have learned from additional analyses conducted since our initial post regarding the death of RL36 (Makoa). Necropsy and histopathology results support drowning in a lay gillnet as the cause of death. The histopathology exam, which looks for disease at the cellular level, confirmed that RL36 was healthy and showed no signs of underlying disease. RL36 was last observed a week prior to his death by a member of the public who called the sightings hotline; in photos submitted to NOAA his physical appearance looked normal. Unfortunately, decomposition makes post mortem exams difficult, so we are unable to rule out trauma with 100 percent certainty. However, the available information and similarities with other drowning cases, including young male monk seal RK88 found deceased in August 2019, strongly support drowning as the cause of death for RL36. NOAA encourages the public to follow the guidelines for Fishing Around Seals and Turtles. Report illegal gillnets to the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources hotline at (808) 643-DLNR (3567).
Tournament fishing in the Pacific Islands region occurs year-round, drawing in local participants and visitors (non-residents) to the state. The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected in-person fishing activities and much of the fishing and seafood industry. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Female Hawaiian monk seal RO28, one of the “monk seal matriarchs,” and her pup on Kaua‘i. Credit: Val Bloy
Tournament fishing in the Pacific Islands region occurs year-round, drawing in local participants and visitors (non-residents) to the state. The COVID-19 global pandemic has affected in-person fishing activities and much of the fishing and seafood industry. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
Oceanic whitetip sharks, so named for the patch of white on their dorsal fins, are a threatened species. Credit: Andy Mann.