Fifth monk seal born on Kauai this season

Kauai is experiencing a bumper crop of Hawaiian monk seal pups, with five born so far this season.

"All the pups are healthy and have had no problems," Jamie Thomton of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis- tration told the Garden Island newspaper.

On Wednesday, he and his team learned that RK28, a female that was not thought to be pregnant, gave birth to the island’s fifth pup of the season.

"It is promising to see the gradual recovery of Hawaiian monk seals in the main Hawaiian islands and gives us great hope for the survival of this species," he said.

Only two pups were born on Kauai in 2013, and four in 2012.

Thomton is the Kauai marine mammal response program coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service. He monitors, tags and tracks newborn pups around the island, and manages interactions between seals and people.

This year, all of Kauai’s pups were born on remote north shore beaches.

The majority of Hawaiian monk seals, about 900, live in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. However, a smaller but growing population of about 200 seals inhabit the main islands.