Hawaiian monk seal pup Loli‘i weaned by mother at Kaimana Beach

Hawaiian monk seal pup Loli‘i, now six weeks old, sleeps on Kaimana Beach today. Today marked the first time the pup was alone, without the constant nurture of his mother RK96, known as Kaiwi, who had borne and nursed him on the beach before suddenly swimming away this morning and leaving him behind.

Angela Amlin, Hawaiian monk seal recovery coordinator with the NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Region, speaks to the media at Kaimana Beach. She said Kaiwi's abrupt departure was natural and expected weaning behavior by a monk seal mother.

Monk seal pup Loli‘i, now six weeks old, sleeps on Kaimana Beach today.

A small crowd gathered to watch the monk seals.

Jon Gelman, president of Hawaii Marine Animal Response, looks on at Kaimana Beach.