Here we go again: monk seal mom and pup on the beach.
With Kaiwi nursing her week-old pup at popular Kaimana Beach, federal and state authorities once again ask the public to give them the recommended space — or visit a different Waikiki beach altogether.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends maintaining 150 feet of distance from mom and pup both on land and in the water. To make that message clear, signs have been posted, and most of the beach has been cordoned off with netting.
“Monk seal mothers, like all mothers, are protective of their young,” said Diana Kramer, NOAA Fisheries’ regional marine wildlife response coordinator, “and they have bit and injured swimmers when they perceive them as a threat to their pups. That is why, together with our partners, we have set up this temporary fencing and informational signs so that people visiting the beach know what is going on.”
This is to protect Kaiwi and pup as they bond and nurse, which is expected to last five to seven weeks, as well as to protect humans.
NOAA, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and Honolulu lifeguards are taking more proactive measures this year to keep both the endangered seals and humans safe.
This year, the team quickly put up a protective border with a much larger perimeter, according to Kramer, to give beachgoers a visual idea of what the 150-foot distance actually looks like.
Two public access points to the ocean are available, but the setup could change as the seals move about.
DLNR plans to once again post Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers at the site 24 hours a day to protect the endangered seals.
DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla said the round-the-clock watch likely will begin this weekend, involving all of his Oahu officers.
Redulla warned that anyone who violates the 50-yard, or 150-foot, cordon around the seals will be subject to enforcement, with the possibility of arrest or citation.
“This is very serious,” he said. “We kindly ask everyone to please obey the viewing guidelines and to please obey state law.”
After all, there was an unfortunate incident in 2022 when Rocky, another nursing monk seal, perceived a woman visiting from California as a threat to her pup and attacked her as she swam at Kaimana Beach.
The visitor suffered lacerations but was able to make it out of the ocean, thanks to good Samaritans who came to her aid.
Officials hope to prevent other such incidents from happening again.
Redulla said under state law, the intentional harassment or harm of a monk seal is considered a Class C felony, punishable by imprisonment and fines.
Unwitting visitors have been cited in the past for slapping or touching the monk seals as they slept along Hawaii shorelines, and posting it on social media.
Kaimana Beach’s fourth pup
Kaiwi gave birth to the pup at Kaimana Beach on the morning of April 14.
NOAA, which monitors the seals, along with volunteers from its nonprofit partner, Hawaii Marine Animal Response, had known Kaiwi was expecting but could only guess the exact time, date and place.
Several HMAR volunteers were there to witness the birth. It is a really special moment, according to Kramer, offering hope for revival of the species.
Once hunted to the brink of extinction, monk seals only recently experienced an increase in their population numbers.
Only about 1,500 seals remain in the wild — the majority of them in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, but a growing number in the main Hawaiian Isles.
And Kaimana Beach is destined to be the site of more pups, given that Kaiwi’s pup is the fourth to be born there.
Rocky has given birth there twice, and now Kaiwi has given birth there twice.
Kaiwi previously gave birth in April 2021 to a pup named Loli‘i at Kaimana Beach. Prior to that she gave birth to three other pups along the Kaiwi coastline, where she herself was born.
Hawaiian monk seal Rocky first became famous for giving birth to a pup at the crowded beach in 2017. Rocky also gave birth to a pup at Kaimana Beach last summer.
RESPECTING HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS
>> Give monk seal moms and pups at least 150 feet of space as they nurse for five to seven weeks (on land and in water). Stay behind posted signs, ropes or fencing.
>> Follow instructions of officials on-site. NOAA/HMAR will be on the beach daily to provide information on mom and pup.
>> Keep voices low and avoid contact with the seals to limit their interactions with humans.
>> Monk seal pups need a safe space to rest, nurse and explore their habitat. The pup will explore more as it grows.
>> Because mother monk seals with a pup can and have been defensive and inflicted wounds to humans in the past, NOAA recommends staying out of the water at Kaimana Beach and choosing another beach.
>> Keep all dogs on a leash.
>> You can help NOAA track seals by reporting sightings to the hotline at 888-256-9840.
Source: NOAA/HMAR
