Federal officials are asking the public to keep their distance from two newborn Hawaiian monk seals on Kauai for the safety of the pups — and onlookers.
"The mother and pups need to nurse without being disturbed," said Jeff Walters, monk seal recovery coordinator with the National Marine Fisheries Service. "Mother seals will protect their pups if they feel threatened."
Both of the pups are about 3 weeks old and are nursing on Kauai’s windward side, said Walters.
The first pup, a female, was born April 23 on Aliomanu Beach and is nursing near the popular beach. Its mother, a seal with identification tag RK13, garnered attention in December when it was seen recovering in a Kauai canal from an apparent shark bite.
The second pup, of unconfirmed gender, was born April 27 at Larsen’s Beach. It is near a road.
Walters said the public can view the seals but should stay behind the fence line and not make loud noises.
Walters said the seals will probably nurse for about three more weeks. The young seals will stay in the area for three to six months after their mothers leave, placing them at risk of becoming accustomed to humans. The newly independent seals could be lonely or curious and approach people, but people shouldn’t interact with them or feed them, Walters said.
Authorities had to remove a monk seal from the wild in 2009 because it became accustomed to people and began holding people underwater while playing. The seal, Hoailona, also known as KP2, now lives at the Waikiki Aquarium.
Hoailona’s mother, RK22, is the same mother of the pup born at Larsen’s Beach.
Only about 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals exist, and their population is declining at about 4 percent a year.
