State officials have concluded their watch over Hawaiian monk seal Rocky and her pup after he was relocated overnight upon weaning, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The 24-hour watch over the endangered seals at Kaimana Beach in Waikiki to keep both people and the animals safe concluded late Thursday night.

Federal wildlife officials, meanwhile, said this afternoon that the pup, named Koalani, has been successfully relocated to a remote Oahu shoreline, where he can grow up wild in the company of other monk seals rather than surrounded by thousands of people daily during the most impressionable stage of his life.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said after confirming Rocky had weaned Koalani Thursday evening, a team carefully placed the pup in a transport kennel.

The kennel was loaded onto the back of a government vehicle and Koalani spent the night at NOAA’s facility for monk seals.

This morning, he got flipper tags, RQ58, a vaccine to protect him from morbillivirus, and a temporary satellite tag attached so that officials can monitor his movements patterns for several weeks.

NOAA said Koalani was safe throughout the relocation, with multiple veterinarians and biologists planning for and overseeing every step,

“Weaned pups are incredibly resilient and do very well during activities such as this,” said NOAA in a blog post. “Their naiveness and curiosity, which is a risk if left in place around large groups of people, makes them very adaptable and reduces their stress during relocations.”

Upon release at the new location, NOAA officials said Koalani headed straight for the water and began exploring.

Volunteers from NOAA’s nonprofit partner, Hawaii Marine Animal Response, will continue monitoring the pup in coming weeks to update the community on how he is settling in.

DLNR said since Aug. 3, officers from the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement provided enforcement and education at the site, as Rocky, the mother monk seal, nursed her pup Koalani, and taught him the skills needed to survive on its own.

Officers had set up a 150-foot cordon, around both mom and pup after a swimmer encountered the seals in July, resulting in lacerations to her face, arm and back. The following weekend, videos surfaced of people crowding around the protective monk seal and pup.

The 150-foot distance, recommended for monk seal moms and pups by federal wildlife officials, was enforced both on land and in the water.

“Our men and women responded in force knowing that protection of our natural resources and public safety are part and parcel of DOCARE’s core mission,” said DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla in a news release. “We haven’t calculated all the personnel costs, but we estimate the total time devoted to overwatch of the monk seals to be more than 500 manhours.”

Redulla said, for the most part, people had been compliant when instructed by officers to move out of the cordoned area.

No citations were issued during the watch, according to DLNR, although officers did have to shoo away several swimmers who got too close to the seals.

If people had been cited for broaching the cordon, it would have been considered “obstruction of a government operation,” DLNR said, which is a misdemeanor.

DLNR said it is exploring strategies to prevent the endangered seals from becoming habituated to people as well as anyone from getting hurt in the future.

“While this duty certainly taxed DOCARE resources to the limit, we felt law enforcement presence was called for to prevent any further encounters, which could well have ended tragically,” said DLNR Chair Suzanne Case in a news release. “Clearly the presence of our DOCARE officers made a huge difference and were a needed supplement to the great efforts of the volunteers from [HMAR], who were constantly monitoring and moving the physical cordon as Rocky and Koalani became more and more active.”

Hawaiian monk seals, among the most endangered seal species in the world, are protected under state and federal laws. To report monk seal sightings, call NOAA’s hotline at 888-256-9840.