Kauai monk seal makes another recovery, returns to ocean
COURTESY TMMC/SOPHIE WHORISKEY/NOAA
Experts from The Marine Mammal Center look on as Hawaiian monk seal RH38 receives a CT scan at Kona Community Hospital on Aug. 9. The CT scan revealed she had a fractured tooth and infection.
An endangered Hawaiian monk seal suffering from a severe tooth fracture and other ailments has been healed and released back to the wild on Kauai.
Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and volunteers are happy to report that monk seal RH38 is now swimming around the island of Kauai in good health after five months of rehabilitation.
Volunteers first noticed the 7-year-old monk seal was lethargic, and floating motionless in the ocean near Fuji Beach in Kapaa, in June. She was taken to Ke Kai Ola, The Marine Mammal Center’s monk seal hospital in Kailua-Kona, for diagnosis and treatment.
After running a series of tests, the center’s veterinary team determined there were no signs of toxins or infectious disease. A CT scan, made possible by Kona Community Hospital, determined she had a large, fractured canine tooth that had become infected.
Vets removed the tooth and treated the infection, along with other issues, including kidney stones.
During her time at Ke Kai Ola, RH38 also gained 100 pounds from a calorie-rich diet of herring and was medically cleared for release in November.
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The U.S. Coast Guard transported the seal back to Kauai for her release back to the wild.
Upon her release, RH38 shuffled over the sand, past a few logs on the beach, and swam into the waves without hesitation. She had been rescued and rehabilitated at Ke Kai Ola several times before, including in 2017 and 2019.
“This has truly been a monk seal ‘ohana (family) effort,” said Jamie Thomton, NOAA’s Kauai Marine Wildlife Response Coordinator, in a statement. “RH38’s homecoming was a collective effort, and we especially want to thank our Kauai volunteers and community members. They’ve helped monitor RH38 over the years, and their reports earlier this year alerted us that something was wrong. Our Kauai team came together to rescue her, and with the partnership of the Center and U.S. Coast Guard, RH38 was successfully rehabilitated and released back to her Kauaʻi home.”
Dr. Sophie Whoriskey of The Marine Mammal Center said every seal matters for an endangered population.
“It was clear during her treatment that her tooth fracture, and the associated infection, was the primary cause of her inability to thrive in the wild,” she said, “and we’re confident this won’t impact her anymore.”
