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Man who threw rocks at monk seal is fined $1,000

A man who was photographed throwing rocks at a monk seal on Rabbit Island earlier this year was sentenced in Kaneohe District Court today to 80 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine.

Police said Travis Kane, 19, threw rocks at a seal on the island, also known as Manana Island, on Jan. 14. Officers from the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement followed and stopped Kane, who was a passenger on a personal water craft originating from Kailua boat ramp. 

The island is a wildlife sanctuary and the public is barred from landing there at all times, according to DLNR officials.

Seals, meanwhile, are protected under state and federal endangered species laws and are known to rest on the beach at Manana. Large, prominent signs are posted around the island informing the public that the area is off-limits.

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