4 rescued Hawaiian monk seals returned to the wild, NOAA says

Four rehabilitated Hawaiian monk seals have been returned to the wild, according to NOAA Fisheries.

The endangered seals got a second chance at life with some help from NOAA as well as Ke Kai Ola, the Marine Mammal Center’s monk seal hospital in Kailua-Kona.

According to a NOAA Fisheries news release, the four seals — two malnourished pups and two injured pups — had grim chances of survival without medical intervention.

The first two seal pups, identified by their flipper tags DT46 and DT48, were rescued from Papaha­naumokuakea Marine National Monument after seasonal field camp staff noticed how underweight they were. Scientists estimated they had less than a 1% chance of survival through the winter and decided to intervene, bringing the two pups to Ke Kai Ola, where they were treated for malnutrition and gastrointestinal parasites, the release said.

The pair was outfitted with temporary satellite tags and released back to the wild this month on Tern Island at Papahanaumo­kua­kea. The pups explored their surroundings for a short time, then dived into the ocean, according to the release.

The third pup, identified as R419, was spotted on Oahu looking severely underweight and sickly. Wildlife officials collected the male seal and treated it for multiple injuries, including large and small infected abscesses on its back. The seal also had injuries to its right front flipper, with fractures to some of its digits, that were believed to have been caused by another male seal, the release said.

At Ke Kai Ola, veterinarians treated monk seal R419 with antibiotics, deworming and pain medications, along with dietary supplements. It eventually gained 100 pounds and was released back into the wild in April.

NOAA Fisheries also rescued RS52, a juvenile male seal that was losing weight at an alarming rate on Maui. The seal was taken to Ke Kai Ola, where it was treated for malnutrition and gastrointestinal parasites. The pup received a clean bill of health and was released off Maui in January.

Officials said it’s been sighted on Lanai, where it was born, as well as along Maui’s south shores.

Based on surveys conducted during summer field camps, about 170 Hawaiian monk seal pups were born at six major pupping sites at Papahanaumokuakea in 2024, about the same as in 2023.

Field teams in 2024 conducted 26 monk seal interventions, which include disentangling them from debris, moving weaned pups away from areas with high shark predations, and reuniting nursing pups with their mothers, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Researchers were also rewarded with the sight of two formerly rescued pups who had been rehabilitated at Ke Kai Ola with pups of their own at Papahanaumokuakea.

Due to intervention efforts, the population of endangered monk seals in 2022 reached a milestone, surpassing 1,600 for the first time in 20 years. They are, however, still listed as an endangered species and remain protected by state and federal laws.

“With only about 1,600 Hawaiian monk seals left in the world, we take our responsibility to recover the population very seriously,” NOAA Fisheries said in the release. “Rehabilitations like these move us one step closer to our goal of removing Hawaiian monk seals from the endangered species list.”

During peak pupping, NOAA Fisheries reminds the public to give mom-pup pairs at least 150 feet of distance. Reports of seals in distress and any sightings can be made via its marine wildlife hotline at 888-256-9840.