U.S. Humane Society ups reward to $22,500 for information leading to Kauai monk seal’s death
COURTESY NOAA FISHERIES
Wildlife officials are still investigating the suspicious death of a yearling, male Hawaiian Monk Seal found dead along Kauai’s Anahola coastline. RL52 is pictured Resting on the sandy shores of Kauai.
Wildlife officials investigating the death of a juvenile, Hawaiian monk seal on Kauai are now offering a reward of $22,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported last month that RL52, a yearling, male monk seal was found dead on Sept. 10 along the Anahola coastline of Kauai.
At the time, officials said the cause of the seal’s death remained unknown, but that NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement and the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement were investigating. The seal was believed to have been shot, according to a notice from NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement.
With the addition of $2,500 contributed by the Humane Society of the United States, NOAA’s reward of $20,000 was recently brought up to $22,500.
Hawaiian monk seals are found nowhere else in the world, and are a critically endangered species protected by both federal and state laws. The population overall has been declining for decades, and only an estimated 1,400 Hawaiian monk seals remain in the wild, according to NOAA.
Harming, harassing or killing a Hawaiian monk seal is considered both a federal and state crime. Under state law, intentionally or knowingly killing a monk seal is also considered a felony.
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Anyone with information should contact DOCARE at 643-DLNR or via the free DLNRTip app, or call NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement hotline at 800-853-1964.
