On July 24, a recorded video captured a woman swimming near Kaimana Beach in Honolulu, attempting to drive away a mother seal named Rocky, who was reportedly barking and trying to find her two-week-old pup. The video shows the seal attacking the woman, who locals have nicknamed the mother seal, as she tries to find and protect her pup while swimming in the water.
One lady, however, launched an assault on the other lady and swiftly retreated to the shore as the puppy approached her. This triggered Rocky’s maternal protective instincts, causing him to swim back to safety. The woman only returned to the shore when other swimmers shouted at her to leave the water, while Rocky and the puppy were heading back to the section of the beach where they had been resting.
The conservation efforts to help increase numbers now. It is thought that the decline in population started in the 1960s, with just 1,600 individuals remaining. The decline was driven by limited availability of prey, which resulted in low juvenile survival. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hawaiian monk seals are considered “one of the most endangered species in the world” and are native only to the Hawaiian archipelago.
A woman goes to assist her pick up two men before carrying them to safety on the shore. Onlookers can hear the woman shouting “out, get out” as she approaches Rocky. This can be seen in the video.
Markus Faigle, hailing from Honolulu, informed Hawaii News Now: “You can hear her cries, this unfortunate lady was absolutely terrified.”
Curt Otsuka, from Moanalua, also observed the incident and shared, “If it hadn’t been for the kayaker who paddled over to rescue her, she could have been severely bitten.”
As per a Facebook post from Hawaii Marine Animal Response (HMAR), the lady sustained injuries and was “conveyed by City & County EMS for additional aid”.
Larry Akiyama, a resident and frequent visitor of the beach, informed the local news station KHON2 that he has observed individuals trespassing the enclosed section established to safeguard Rocky and her offspring.
He mentioned that they should go through them in the right manner and that we should not tell them to go there, as they are not actively listening.
The mother will eventually venture into the ocean to search for food, leaving the pup to fend for itself once nursing is complete. Throughout this period, the mothers will dedicate their time solely to nursing their pups, refraining from eating or abandoning the pup. This nursing period typically lasts around six weeks, similar to the gestation period of humans. Hawaiian monk seals have the ability to give birth to only one pup per year, which takes nine months to gestate.
Hawaiian monk seals are safeguarded by both federal and state provisions, and breaching these provisions could lead to a penalty of as much as $50,000.
Nevertheless, there are also numerous substantial factors caused by humans that pose a threat to seals. Female and pup seals face aggression from males, while female pups face aggression from both males and sharks through predation. Additionally, these seals face competition for food from other species, leading to a decline in their population and exposing them to natural threats.
Due to the rise in sea levels and climate change, several low-lying beaches that were previously important pupping sites for seals have been lost, forcing nurse Kaimana to work in busy beaches. According to NOAA, Hawaiian monk seals have the highest documented rates of entanglement among any seal species, with pups often getting entangled in discarded fishing gear and other plastic waste in the ocean.
In this recent situation, as observed, both the seals and the humans causing the disruption are at risk, with deliberate feeding, dog assaults, boat or vehicle collisions, and other disruptions being another element contributing to their decrease in numbers, resulting in heightened interactions between humans and seals.
HMAR has issued a warning for swimmers in the vicinity, advising them to exit the water when the mother monk seal and her offspring are present, and to maintain a distance of at least 150 feet from them. This precaution is necessary as nursing mothers can exhibit high levels of protectiveness, which may result in harm to swimmers.
HMAR, in its Facebook post, stated, “It is recommended to remain watchful for a few more weeks until the mother monk seal stops nursing her offspring.” We persist in cautioning individuals against participating in activities in the water when a monk seal mother is present with her pup, and to maintain a distance of at least 150 feet from mother seals accompanied by their pups.