Orphaned monk seal makes Waikiki Aquarium his home

So how is KP2 — the orphaned Hawaiian monk seal — doing at his new home at the Waikiki Aquarium?

Well, to start with, the aquarium calls him Ho‘ailona ("a sign from the sea"). The seal turned 4 in May and started molting this month, shedding a layer of fur and skin for seven to 10 days, as the seals do once a year.

During molting time, Ho‘ailona spent most of the day snoozing on the deck. He lifted his head briefly to check me out, then went back to sunning.

"He’s doing great," said Heather Down, Ho‘ailona’s trainer and monk seal program manager. "His journey hasn’t ended since he got here. It’s only going to continue."

Down described Ho‘ailona as a gregarious animal. "He’s got a boisterous, playful personality," she said.

The seal has a number of "enrichment toys" to keep him busy during the day. These are basically toys with different textures that he can push around in the water.

They include ropes, floats, balls and a flotation device similar to a boogie board, only bigger. He’s fond of stashing some of those items underwater in the nooks and crannies of his cave.

He eats herring, smelt and squid supplemented with vitamins.

Ho‘ailona officially became a resident at the aquarium in December after two years at the Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz, Calif.

He was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth on Kauai, rescued by federal officials, then released at Kalaupapa. But he was taken from there for becoming too friendly with swimmers at Kaunakakai Harbor. Molokai elders named him Ho‘ailona.

He was destined for Nihoa in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands until veterinarians discovered cataracts in both of his eyes.

AT THE aquarium he recently reached the milestone of 300 pounds — a significant weight increase compared with when he arrived weighing about 220 pounds. Full-grown monk seals can reach 400 pounds.

Due to his deteriorating eyesight, Ho‘ailona responds mostly to various tactile and verbal cues.

He still loves the company of people, although staff at the aquarium are trying to teach him to act more like a monk seal and to be wary of humans.

He has his fans.

Visitors stop at the glass window by Ho‘ailona’s home, where he swirls underwater, pushing a toy around with his mouth. On a recent day a little girl about 7 years old sat by the window and watched the seal for an entire hour.

Some of his fans are part of Ho‘ailona’s unofficial family, including volunteers who cared for him as a pup and residents who played with him in the ocean. Others are out-of-state visitors who are seeing a Hawaiian monk seal for the first time.

A sign by the habitat explains that the Hawaiian monk seal is endemic to Hawaii, meaning they are native and not found anywhere else in the world. They are also one of the most critically endangered seal species in the world. Only about 1,100 remain in the wild.

Threats in its primary natural habitat in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands include tiger and Galapagos sharks, as well as marine debris.

Monk seals are curious animals, and so they can easily get entangled,

They can live up to 30 years.

Ho‘ailona shares the Monk Seal Habitat with a 28-year-old male, Makaonaona ("soft eyes"), who tolerates him. While the two are still separated by a fence, the aquarium is slowly introducing them to each another. Maka is mellow, while Ho‘ailona is more active, but it’s clear the former is the senior.

"Ultimately, we want them to be integrated and socializing with each other," said Down.

If you see a monk seal on shore, do not approach or disturb it. Call the monk seal hotline at 220-7802.

Watch Ho‘ailona via webcam at www.waquarium.org/webcams.html.

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Nina Wu writes about environmental issues. Reach her at nwu@staradvertiser.com.