HONOLULU — Volunteers were keeping close watch over a newborn Hawaiian monk seal — the first one born in the main Hawaiian Islands in 2015.
A monk seal known as Honey Girl gave birth Wednesday on Oahu’s North Shore. This is Honey Girl’s ninth pup. Honey Girl nearly died 2 ½ years ago after a fishing hook lodged in her mouth.
The critically endangered species numbers less than 1,100 and is declining in population. Only 1 in 5 seals born in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands survives to its first birthday.
Volunteers with the Monk Seal Foundation will be extra vigilant watching over the newborn this weekend because the nearby Turtle Bay Resort is overrun with crowds, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Saturday. Crowds will be attending a yoga and music festival being held at the hotel.
The hotel is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to communicate “the proper protocols” for encountering the animals, said Skip Taylor, a Turtle Bay Resort manager.
“It’s going to be packed and crowded this weekend, so we’re going to have some very seasoned volunteers signed up for the entire weekend,” said Dana Jones, Oahu response coordinator for the foundation.
Volunteers protect the seals while also educating the public about keeping their distance, Jones said.
“You wouldn’t approach a lion with a cub or a grizzly bear with a cub,” she said. “It’s the same thing. Any mother would defend her child.”
By wire sources