Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia
By Sarah Sharkey
Kaimana is the most famous monk seal in Hawaii. She resides on Oahu, the biggest of the Hawaiian Islands.
Earlier this month she needed some help from her human admirers. The monk seal had a one-inch hook caught in her mouth. It was jammed in the left side of her cheek. Not only did it look painful, but also seemed to cause her to be distressed.
Someone from the Hawaiian Marine Animal Response spotted Kaimana on Malaekahana beach and noticed the hook in her mouth. They reported the sighting and a team of volunteers went to remove the hook from Kaimana’s mouth. After its removal, she seemed perfectly alright.
The next day she was seen swimming happily around the North Shore, so it appears she is back in good health. This is the second time she has been hooked, last time she was able to remove the hook without assistance.
NOAA reports that there is an average of 12 seal hookings per year in the Hawaiian Islands. The NOAA Regional Marine Mammal Response coordinator, David Schofield, said “We are asking people to be more mindful of (the monk seals) and give them their space. If you see a seal coming by your line or your bait, remove that from the situation. Remove the temptation for the seal to take an unnatural food source.”
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