Seal found dead was pregnant

HA‘ENA — The Hawaiian monk seal found dead on Ha‘ena Beach in late April was pregnant, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Wildlife officials confirmed the discovery of the female deceased seal, R313, on April 25, after it was reported by a Kaua‘i resident.

Another female monk seal named Honey Girl, or R5AY, was found dead of unknown causes on an O‘ahu beach April 23.

NOAA’s marine-mammal-stranding network partners have adjusted their response to strandings, deaths and entanglements and are unable to perform full necropsies because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We used the fewest number of people possible, followed social-distancing protocols, and used personal protective equipment while transporting the carcass to a remote location for burial,” NOAA said in an online post.

The agency’s ability to conduct typical postmortem examinations including necropsy is “extremely limited” by health regulations resulting from the pandemic, which was also the case with Honey Girl.

NOAA preserved R313’s fetus and placenta and plans to perform a necropsy and sampling as soon as possible, which may provide additional information on the cause of her death.

R313, first identified on Kaua‘i in 2009, was at least 15 years old at the time of her death, NOAA said.

Staff and volunteers with NOAA and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources did not observe R313 with a pup, but tracked her growing size, a sign she could be pregnant.

Officials believe that like many Kaua‘i seals, she gave birth to her pups at a more remote beach on Ni‘ihau.

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Associated Press contributed to this report.