Volunteers prepare to protect endangered monk seal pups

LIHUE, Kauai (AP) — Volunteers on Kauai will take steps to protect endangered monk seal pups expected to be born in the coming months.

About 100 volunteers will take turns monitoring the animals and erect barricades around the mothers and pups to discourage people from getting close.

“Pup-sitting is like babysitting,” said volunteer Lloyd Miyashiro. “Volunteers take shifts to make sure the mom and pup are OK, and to talk to people that come out.”

Kauai monk seal coordinator Jamie Thomton told the Garden Island (https://bit.ly/1W72utM) that a couple of moms are getting ready to give birth soon, but it’s difficult to predict exactly when.

“We wish we had better indicators. Sometimes you’ll see the belly moving — like the baby kicking and that kind of thing,” said Thomton of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “But typically we get a call saying, ‘Hey, there’s a monk seal pup up here.’”

He said mother seals are protective of their pups and have bitten people in the past. People should avoid swimming, snorkeling or spear fishing near a mother monk seal, he said.

Volunteers will continue watching the pups after they’re no longer nursing and their moms have left them behind.

Four monk seal were born on Kauai in 2015.