State and federal authorities today are investigating another suspicious monk seal death on Kaua‘i. NOAA Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Coordinator and Marine Mammals Branch Chief Jeff Walters tells The Garden Island today that a 3-year-old monk seal tagged RA 16,
State and federal authorities today are investigating another suspicious monk seal death on Kaua‘i.
NOAA Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Coordinator and Marine Mammals Branch Chief Jeff Walters tells The Garden Island today that a 3-year-old monk seal tagged RA 16, but locally named “No Ho,” was discovered Sunday on rocks on a shoreline on the island’s northeastern side.
A necropsy, or animal autopsy, was performed Monday. “The results of the necropsy led us to believe we could not rule out foul play or some intentional act by a human,” Walters says. The nature of the injuries and exact location of the discovery are not being disclosed at the request of investigators, he says.
Monk seals are protected by state and federal law.
This is the second “suspicious death” of a monk seal on Kaua‘i this year. Walters says another young male monk seal, age 2 or 3, was found on Kauai in early January.
