Hawaiian monk seal Rocky due to give birth again

Rocky, the Hawaiian monk seal who made waves around the world last summer by giving birth to a pup in Waikiki, is expecting again.

The birth could happen as soon as Sunday, according to Aliza Milette-­Winfree, Oahu marine mammal response coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“We’re really happy to share that this year the main Hawaiian Islands are having a record year for monk seal births,” said Milette-Winfree at a press conference Friday morning. “So far there’s been 26, and we are expecting a few more. One of those expectant mamas is the now famous Rocky.”

The million-dollar question is whether Rocky, or RH58, will return to Kaimana Beach, where she gave birth to a female pup, now known as Kaimana, in June 2017, or head back to Kauai’s north shore, where she gave birth the previous nine times.

NOAA officials say they do not know where she will give birth and that it is difficult to predict.

“We’re definitely hoping that this year she will once again go back to a nice, secluded beach,” said Milette-­Winfree. “A really busy beach like Waikiki is not a healthy place for a monk seal pup to grow, to become a healthy and independent monk seal, with crowds of people instead of other monk seals to learn and grow from.”

In addition, she said, it can become a dangerous situation for both people and seals.

While monk seals are generally docile, moms can become aggressive while protecting their pups. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources released a video last summer showing Rocky charging at a monk seal that had swum too close.

The public is asked to refrain from swimming in an area with a monk seal mom and pup.

While many female monk seals often do return to the place where they were born to give birth to their pups — which is what Rocky did the first nine times — they can also surprise everyone. Rocky astounded researchers when she chose to give birth at Kaimana Beach, one of her favorite haul-out sites in Waikiki.

Volunteers from Hawaii Marine Animal Response and officials kept vigilant watch over mom and nursing pup for six weeks, until Kaimana weaned and Rocky departed. Several times, Kaimana decided to swim in the dilapidated Natatorium pool to explore her surroundings.

With the pup alone, officials decided to move Kaimana to a more remote location for safety reasons.

NOAA officials also announced Friday that a newly weaned male pup, RK24, was recently hooked on Oahu’s Windward side.

Someone had reported seeing a fishing line with a weight from the pup’s mouth, according to NOAA research marine biologist Jessica Bohlander.

Upon responding and assessing the seal, the NOAA team no longer saw the line, but brought RK24 to its facility to conduct X-rays and a full oral exam. Fortunately, there were no signs that RK24 had swallowed the hook, a potentially fatal situation, and no indication of mouth injuries.

So far this year there have been five confirmed hookings.

The team took some blood samples and released RK24 back to the wild where he was found. He was spotted Thursday in good health.

The sooner that a hooking or entanglement is reported, said Bohlander, the better the chances are for the seal’s survival. The public is encouraged to report any potential hookings to the NOAA hotline.

Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species, with a population of about 1,400 remaining in the wild. Roughly 1,100 seals dwell in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and about 300 in the main Hawaiian Islands.

The previous record of monk seal pups born in the main isles was 21 in 2013, according to Bohlander. So far this year there have been 26 births in all the main isles, without counting Niihau.

She is not sure why this year has been a record year, but there are seven first-time moms. Female monk seals give birth to a pup only once a year, and not every year. While most births occur between February and August, monk seal births have been recorded year-round.

While the monk seal population experienced a 3 percent per year increase between 2013 and 2016, it remained stable between 2016 and 2017.

NOAA’s hotline for sightings of injured monk seals, dolphins, whales and turtles is 888-256-9840.