A milestone moment: Monk seals treated at Ke Kai Ola birth pups in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

Hawaiian monk seal Meleana (R) is pictured resting with her newborn pup on Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Reef) this summer. (Photo by Paige Mino © NOAA Fisheries, NMFS Permit # 18786/Special to West Hawaii Today)

Hawaiian monk seal Meleana (L) is pictured nursing with her newborn pup on Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Reef) this summer. Two successfully treated former patients at The Marine Mammal Center’s hospital in Kailua-Kona, including Meleana, were spotted for the first time this summer nursing their healthy pups by NOAA researchers. This news marks a major milestone in the conservation of this endangered species. (Photo by Paige Mino © NOAA Fisheries, NMFS Permit # 18786/Special to West Hawaii Today)

Hawaiian monk seal Ahonui is successfully released back to the wild with a post release satellite tracking tag by researchers from The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Marine Mammal Center on Kamole (Laysan Island) in August. (Photo by Megan Ely ©NOAA Fisheries, NMFS Permit # 18786/Special to West Hawaii Today)

In a sign of hope for the next generation of endangered Hawaiian monk seals and a critical boost to ongoing conservation efforts, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the first time confirmed that two formerly released patients from The Marine Mammal Center’s hospital in Kailua-Kona, Ke Kai Ola, are now new moms.