Spring has sprung: Hawaiian monk seal welcomes pup at North Kona beach

  • Hawaiian monk seal RA20 nuzzles her newborn pup Thursday in North Kona. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
  • A newborn Hawaiian monk seal barks at its mother, RA20 Thursday in North Kona. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
  • Hawaiian monk seal RA20 nuzzles her newborn pup Thursday in North Kona. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
  • Hawaiian monk seal RA20 rests while her newborn pup frolics in the water Thursday in North Kona. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
  • Hawaiian monk seal RA20 nuzzles her newborn pup Thursday in North Kona. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
  • Hawaiian monk seal RA20 nuzzles her newborn pup Thursday in North Kona. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)
  • Hawaiian monk seal RA20 nuzzles her newborn pup Thursday in North Kona. (Laura Ruminski/West Hawaii Today)

KONA COAST — It’s said spring breathes new life into the world around us — and that was certainly true this year when Hawaiian monk seal RA20 welcomed her second pup Wednesday.