LIHUE — Rescue and rehabilitation of Hawaiian monk seals is Ke Kai Ola Marine Mammal Center’s mission, but it’s rare that one of their patients comes from the Main Hawaiian Islands.
Veterinarians and volunteers with Ke Kai Ola are getting that opportunity once again with the ongoing rehabilitation of their newest resident — a malnourished Molokai monk seal pup known as Sole, currently in stable condition at the center.
“This young pup is only the second pup from the main islands to be rehabilitated by the center,” representatives said in a Thursday announcement about the seal. “The majority were rescued from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.”
The other seal was malnourished female yearling RH38, rescued from Kauai’s Milolii Beach on the North Shore in August 2017. She was the center’s first patient from Kauai.
She was spotted by a member of the Pacific Island Region Marine Mammal Response Network and weighed about 90 pounds when she was retrieved by the U.S. Coast Guard and taken to Ke Kai Ola.
RH38 was released from the center in November and returned to the wild on one of Kauai’s remote beaches.
Of Ke Kai Ola’s 23 patients since its opening in 2017, most have been released back to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Two have been released on Kauai: RH38 and a female yearling seal named Koani pehu, or “moon flower” in December 2017.
Malnourishment is a running theme for the seals that find themselves rehabilitating at Ke Kai Ola and that’s the case for the male pup recently rescued off of Molokai.
The pup prematurely weaned from its mother earlier in July and his small size and thin body condition quickly became a concern for wildlife experts.
Born on June 20, Sole switched to nursing from another monk seal mother who had been with her female pup since May 30, an event that has been observed occasionally in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands by NOAA researchers.
This shortened the male pup’s nursing time, resulting in minimal reserves and a lower body weight.
It was clear that intervention was critical to ensure the pup’s survival, according to Ke Kai Ola staff.
Veterinarians from The Marine Mammal Center, with the support of the United States Coast Guard, the National Park Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, rescued the pup late last week and transferred it to the Kona hospital for care.
“With only a few hundred monk seals living in the main Hawaiian Islands, the survival of each individual is critical to the recovery of the population,” says Dr. Claire Simeone, the Center’s Hospital Director at Ke Kai Ola. “Conservation takes a village. We are so grateful to our partners for their support in achieving our mission, and ensuring this pup made it safely to Ke Kai Ola.”
The United States Coast Guard provided a helicopter flight from Honolulu to Kalaupapa National Historical Park, and then on to Kona to safely transport the seal to rehabilitation. Simeone accompanied the seal on the transport and is providing supportive care at the hospital with the assistance of staff and volunteers.
During his initial exam, Simeone noted that the Sole is malnourished but otherwise stable.
He is receiving nutrition in the form of a blended fish mash, and as he grows stronger will transition to eating whole fish. In order to give him the best chance of survival back in the wild, human contact will be minimal to reduce risk of habituation and enrichment activities will help encourage development of natural behaviors and skills.
In addition to being a rare rescue from one of the Main Hawaiian Islands, the seal pup was removed from the remote Kalaupapa area by air.
“This was a unique operation in terms of the remoteness of Kalaupapa and the fact that the animal had to be removed by air,” said Eric Roberts, Coast Guard 14th District Marine Mammal Response Coordinator. “However, all of the agencies involved did a tremendous job of coordinating logistics and we feel fortunate to be a part of such an important mission to support the greater recovery of the Hawaiian monk seal.”
After RH38 was returned to Kauai’s shores, The Kauai Monk Seal Conservation Hui documented her going through her annual molting phase where she lost her green coloring and became silvery and sleek.
Experts also tracked her movements and reported she’d started moving along the North Shore, an indication that she’s stayed wild and not become accustomed to humans.
That’s the goal, according to staff from Ke Kai Ola — rehabbing seals and releasing them back into their wild environment without getting them accustomed to people.
Ke Kai Ola is open to the public Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are available by appointment only. Due to their endangered status, monk seal patients are not available for viewing, but may be seen remotely as part of a tour. Additionally, marine science educators at Ke Kai Ola offer a variety of school programs. Call 326-7325 for more information on tours or education offerings.
Members of the public should keep a safe distance from monk seals and report sightings on Hawai’i Island to Ke Kai Ola’s response team at the 24-hour hotline: 987-0765.
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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or at jelse@thegardenisland.com.
