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Hawaiian Monk Seal visits Fort DeRussy Beach Park

By Kat Wade / Special to the Star-Advertiser

May 8, 2019

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Kaiwi, an 8-year-old Hawaiian Monk Seal born at Alan Davis in 2011, lays on the beach at Fort DeRussy Beach Park in Waikiki on Wednesday.
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Federal officials are reminding the public to keep a good distance from a female monk seal that has hauled out at a Waikiki Beach for the fourth day.
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Tourists line up to look at Kaiwi, an 8-year-old Hawaiian Monk Seal visiting Fort DeRussy Beach Park in Waikiki on Wednesday. Kaʻiwi was born at Alan Davis in 2011.
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There are approximately 300 endangered Hawaiian Monk Seals across the islands.
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Kaiwi has given birth to two pups previously in South or East Oahu, which are areas that she frequents.
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While National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials do not believe Kaiwi, based on appearances, is pregnant this time, there is still a possibility that she is.
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“This would be the time of year that she would give birth based on her previous puppings,” said NOAA marine mammal response coordinator Dave Schofield. “However, she’s not as large as we would expect to see her if she was giving birth at the beginning of May. Based on appearances, we’re feeling that she’s not pregnant.”
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Still, since Hawaiian monk seals, an endangered species protected by both state and federal laws, typically forage at night and haul up to rest during the day, NOAA is reminding the public in a high traffic area such as Waikiki to give Kaiwi some space.
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NOAA asks that people not try to get a close-up selfie with the monk seal, and to stay behind protective borders that have been set up at a safe distance.
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Volunteers from Hawaii Marine Animal Response, a non-profit that works with NOAA, have already set up a border around Kaiwi and are keeping an eye on her safety from sunup to sundown.
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The year 2018 was a banner year for monk seal pups, with 30 pups born in the main Hawaiian isles.
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While NOAA officials are not 100% sure if Kaiwi is expecting or not, they hope that if she is, she will give birth in a more remote location.
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