New seal pups thriving across the islands

Kaimana, the celebrity Hawaiian monk seal pup who captured the public’s attention during her rare birth in Waikiki, was one of four born this summer on Oahu.

Four monk seal pups — two male and two female — were born between May and July this year. In May a male seal nicknamed Aka was born at Rabbit Island while a female seal nicknamed Wailea was born at Moku Iki islet off of Lanikai Beach. Kaimana was born in late June and a male pup — yet to be named — was born on Oahu’s North Shore in July.

“All the Oahu seals are doing well,” said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research ecologist Stacie Robinson. “We’re getting good reports, and they are all just doing normal seal things, learning to forage and cruising around.”

While Kaimana’s birth created a stir, there has been no uptick in the birth of pups in the main Hawaiian isles in recent years, according to Robinson, with the average being between 15 to 18 from Kauai to Hawaii island. A total of 18 pups — nine on Molokai, four on Oahu, four on Kauai and one on Hawaii island — were born this year. Three perished, leaving 15 survivors. On Niihau about 20 pups were born this year.

Kaimana, who was relocated to a more secluded location on Oahu in August shortly after weaning from her mom, Rocky, is doing well, despite a brief encounter with a fishing hook in September. She was able to shake it off on her own without intervention.

Volunteers from Hawaii Marine Animal Response, the field operations arm of a nonprofit working with NOAA, keep a close eye on Kaimana, according to president Jon Gelman. She is in the company of a few other monk seals, both adult and juvenile.

“We see her almost every day,” said Gelman. “We’ve seen her eating, interacting with other animals. We’ve seen her playing with objects like sticks, which is pretty common for pups.”

All four pups have red number tags on their flippers to identify them. NOAA outfitted Kaimana with a satellite transmitter, which can track her movements for about six months.

At 4 months old she’s considered a “weaner,”according to Robinson, and has shed some baby fat. Initially she stayed within a mile from the release site, but has been spotted as far as four miles away. She’s expected to keep exploring further, but there’s no way of predicting precisely where she will give birth herself as a mature seal in five years.

“It’s totally up to her,” said Robinson. “The one rule of working with monk seals is that monk seals follow no rules.”

Kaimana’s mother, Rocky, herself was moved as a pup from a popular beach in South Kauai to a more remote location on the Garden Isle’s North Shore to shield her from human interactions. Nine times, Rocky returned to Kauai’s North Shore to give birth. For her 10th pup she veered from that norm by giving birth at Kaimana Beach in Waikiki. There’s no knowing where Rocky will give birth the next time.

Endangered species

Hawaiian monk seals (Neomonachus schauinslandi) were listed as an endangered species in 1976 and are protected by both federal and state laws. As a general rule, NOAA recommends giving seals at least 50 feet of distance. Harassing, harming or killing any endangered species, including Hawaiian monk seals, is considered a felony, and can result in a fine up to $50,000 and five years in prison under state law.

Population numbers were in continual decline due to numerous challenges — habitat loss, marine debris entanglement and, in a few cases, human-inflicted harm. The tide turned five years ago, when the population recorded a 3 percent growth rate per year from 2013 to 2016.

An estimated population of 1,400 seals remains in Hawaii, with approximately 1,100 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and 300 in the main Hawaiian Islands.

While plenty of pups had been born before her, Kaimana gained more attention than most in heavily frequented Waikiki and now has semicelebrity status, with a dedicated Facebook page and even a beer — the Kaimana Monk Seal Double IPA — named after her by Lanikai Brewing Co. Photographers participating in NOAA’s monk seal photo contest over the summer submitted more photos of Kaimana than any other pup.

Her popularity is an opportunity to educate more of the public about Hawaii’s endemic animals, meaning found nowhere else in the world, according to Gelman, and the need to give all Hawaiian monk seals a wide berth while they are resting along shorelines.

Keeping a distance is also a safety measure for humans. Mother monk seals are very protective, she said. Full-grown Hawaiian monk seals weigh up to 400 pounds and play games like “go to the bottom of the ocean.”

“They need space to rest,” said Robinson. “They spend only about two-thirds of time in water swimming, so when on shore they really need that rest.”