$5,000 Reward Offered for Info on Monk Seal’s Death
Photo credit: NOAA
A Hawaiian monk seal on the northeast coast of Kauai died under suspicious circumstances, and now NOAA and the Department of Land and Natural Resources want to know why.
They’ve set up a confidential and toll-free tip line for any information on the death and are prepared to offer a $5,000 reward.
The female seal known as RF58 was found dead on the beach on Nov. 30 and scientists believe blunt force trauma is the cause. When she was seen less than 24 hours before her body was discovered, RF58 was perfectly healthy.
Photo credit: NOAA
“Like all Hawaiian monk seals, RF58 was a vital and integral part of our native Hawaiian ecosystem,” DLNR chairman William J. Aila, Jr. told KITV. “Killing a healthy young female monk seal in the wild is senseless and only makes things worse for our local ocean resources and the people who depend on them.”
RF58’s is the daughter of RH58, or Rocky. Rocky was the victim of a dog attack in July 2014, but was treated and recovered from those injuries.
A preliminary post-mortem report from the Marine Mammal Center and NOAA Fisheries’ Conservation Medicine Officer states, “The seal likely did not die immediately, but from complications associated with massive trauma and internal bleeding.”
Monk seals are native to Hawaii, found nowhere else in the world. They are critically endangered.
Killing a monk seal is a Class C felony in Hawaii. A conviction carries a $50,000 fine and five years in prison.
If you have information on this monk seal’s death, call the NOAA OLE hotline at 1-800-853-1964 or Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement at the Tipline at 1-855-DLNR-TIP or 643-DLNR.
