Rocky the monk seal returns to Kaimana Beach
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@ STARADVERTISER.COM
Rocky makes her way to the ocean today.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Rocky, right, with her newborn Hawaiian monk seal pup at Kaimana Beach on July 14. Rocky has been spotted at Kaimana this week.
Rocky the Hawaiian monk seal has returned to Kaimana Beach, where she first became famous for giving birth to first one, and then two pups at the crowded Waikiki location.
The celebrity monk seal, also known as RH58, has been sighted at Kaimana since Monday, according to observers, resting and sunbathing along the shoreline.
Volunteers from Hawaii Marine Animal Response have been keeping an eye on Kaimana since her arrival at the beach.
Officials remind the public to keep a distance from endangered monk seals resting on shorelines, and to observe signs and perimeters set up around them.
>> PHOTOS: Rocky returns to Kaimana Beach
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends maintaining a distance of at least 50 feet from monk seals on land and in water. For monk seal moms and pups, NOAA recommends a distance of at least 150 feet.
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Hawaiian monk seals give birth throughout the year, according to NOAA, but peak pupping season is March through August.
Rocky first caused a stir when she gave birth to a pup in June 2017 at busy Kaimana Beach. She usually gives birth on Kauai, but returned to Kaimana Beach again last summer to give birth to a pup named Koalani.
Her first pup born at Kaimana Beach – named Kaimana — gave birth in January to her first healthy pup, named U‘i , which would be Rocky’s granddaughter. Rocky has given birth to 14 pups total.
