KAILUA-KONA — Monk seal pup Manu‘iwa is on her own.
Now more than ever it is imperative Hawaii Island residents and visitors alike work to keep this young, very curious seal wild as Manu’iwa is the only pup on Hawaii Island and has just four other seals with whom to interact, officials stressed Monday.
Like a child with limited options to keep her busy, it’s likely the “weaner,” as 1- to 12-month-old monk seals are known, will be interested in other things in her environment — including humans. It is essential, scientists said, that people not interact with her to prevent habituation.
“It’s critical for the public to avoid Manu’iwa as much as possible, to help her understand that humans are not playmates,” said Dr. Claire Simeone, director of The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola Hawaiian Monk Seal Hospital in Kailua-Kona. “Our response team’s priority right now is to reach out to the community to ask the public not to interact with her and report sightings to our hotline so that we can observe her behavior and help her stay wild.”
Experts from The Marine Mammal Center confirmed that Manu‘iwa had weaned from her mother, RA20, at the end of March. NOAA Fisheries’ Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, partnering with the Ke Kai Ola staff, subsequently applied identification tags as part of a long-term population monitoring effort.
While applying the tags, which are K26/K27, scientists conducted a health assessment and confirmed that Manu‘iwa is a female. They also attached a temporary satellite tag to monitor the seal’s movements as she travels from her natal beach in North Kona.
Just when and how far she will go is hard to predict as each seal is different, according to Simeone. Response volunteers with the center will remain in the area to provide outreach to the community as well as observe the pup to ensure that she is not exhibiting early signs of habituation.
“For the first few months, she may choose to stay near the area where she was born, and then venture to other parts of the island — or even other islands — as she gets older. Community reports of sightings will be critical to help our response team keep track of her location and monitor her behavior to check for signs of habituation,” she said.
Should someone encounter Manu‘iwa, the center suggests that they first pause and try to be boring or ignore the seal, before working to protect themselves and not engaging the seal. Then report the sighting to the Marine Mammal Center’s hotline at 987-0765.
Manu‘iwa was born Feb. 8 at Mahaiula Bay to RA20, granddaughter of Honey Girl, a well-known seal on Oahu identified as R5AY that’s raised numerous pups and even inspired a book. On Friday, RA20 was spotted solo, basking at Kukio Bay.
“Every female Hawaiian monk seal is highly critical to the survival of the species,” said Simeone. “We hope that Manu‘iwa will thrive in the wild and reach reproductive stage to produce healthy pups of her own one day.”
RA20’s separation from Manu‘iwa sets her on that trek and marked the first successful weaning of a monk seal pup on Hawaii Island since 2013 when Kamilo, a male, was sucessfully weaned by RW34, also known as Waimanu, a female born in 2008 at Waimanu Valley.
Kamilo was one of two seals born in 2013 on Hawaii Island and was the lone survivor. At just six months of age, Kamilo had apparently become accustomed to people and playfully bit two triathletes swimming in Kamakahonu Bay prompting NOAA to transport him to Niihau.
“Our colleagues at NOAA report that Kamilo is doing great,” said Simeone. “His story is an unfortunate example of the risks that we face when a monk seal is habituated to people, which is why it is so critical for the community to help Manu‘iwa stay wild by avoiding interactions with her and reporting sightings to our response team.”
Manu‘iwa is one of an estimated 300 monk seals that call the main Hawaiian Islands home. An additional 1,100 live in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, according to the Monk Seal Research Program, which released its 2017 population update last month.
She was the second pup born in 2018 following the birth of another female on Jan. 8 on Lana‘i.