Worried about the health and survivability of a young female Hawaiian monk seal with a fish hook stuck in her mouth, local volunteers are asking the public’s help in locating the animal. She was last seen swimming along the South
Worried about the health and survivability of a young female Hawaiian monk seal with a fish hook stuck in her mouth, local volunteers are asking the public’s help in locating the animal.
She was last seen swimming along the South Shore last week.
Anyone seeing the seal, between four and six feet long, on any Kaua‘i beach, is asked to immediately call Gretchen Johnson, Kaua‘i monk seal coordinator, at 651-7668.
Efforts will be made to immediately remove the stainless-steel fish hook embedded in the seal’s mouth.
The public can also help by allowing the injured seal and any other of the endangered creatures to come out of the water and onto beaches in order to rest.
The monk seal is one of 25 known endangered Hawaiian monk seals known to frequent Kaua‘i beaches and nearshore waters. The seals need to hit the beach, or haul out of the water, in order to rest away from its major predator, sharks.
The injured seal is a “sub-adult” four to six feet in length.
