Hawaiian Monkseal.

Yesterday morning we were down at La Perouse Bay waiting for the dolphin to come in and saw this rare Hawaiian Monkseal, a species that is critically endangered.

The Ranger told me that there are now only two places in the world that have Monkseals and they are the Mediteranean and the Hawaiian Isles. The population that was in the Caribbean went extinct last year.
The population in the Mediteranean is expected to go extinct within a present day 30 year old's lifetime, and the population in the Hawaiian Isles are expected to go extinct within a present day 15 year old's lifetime. That is if they can hang on that long. We number just over 100 animals in the Hawaiian islands with most being on the protected outer islands of the chain...5 animals are known to have be killed this year alone - two by gunshot in Hana, where they are seen as competition by the local fishermen.

It was a rare treat (maybe even once in a lifetime) to see this fellow swimming about in the Bay. The Ranger confirmed that he was a male and even read his number which is painted on his tummy....

The picture is not wonderful, we were not allowed to go within 500 feet of him and he hadn't hauled up on the beach to sunbathe. His weight was estimated at about 100 lbs and is a younger animal.

He's beautiful - lucky you!

Wow!! You are extremely lucky!!! He's gorgeous!!

Beautiful and wondrous...the perfect couple to witness a miracle.

PK

Aww, I sure hope the Ranger in this particular location will keep a watchful eye on the Monkseal to keep potential poacher's away from the area which they still abide in the Hawaiian Island's!

Glad you got a beautiful picture of one Braveheartsmom .....swimming in that crystal clear blue Hawaii water.

Rachel

WoW! What an experience! That is fantastic to be able to see something so rare!

I wish they could be more protected!!!!!

Jeanne

Oh yes, the Rangers are most careful to keep people away from all of the protected creatures, but they will do nothing to interfere with the natural order of things....

Off to La Perouse tomorrow morning and I am hoping he is still there and up on shore sunbathing!

That's sad to hear that the Ranger's will not step up to the "plate" if needed to help protect some animal's that are getting to the extinction level if it interfere's with the Natural Order of thing's. Some thing's need to be protected no matter what in my eye's;-) I have to add though, that's just me and how I "think".

Wishing you a wonderful weekend and hope you are able to get another shot of the Monkseal enjoying life.

Rachel

Same here Rachel, but I guess there are a lot of things that they would have no control over such as shark attacks, etc. - it's a shame.

We recently had a pod of pigmy killer whales in the shallows - one of which was a very sick individual. They did go as far as to move him to a sheltered bay in order to try to keep the tiger sharks away, and they administered medicine. They eventually did have to euthanize him to stop his suffering...the necropsy showed that he was a very old individual and was almost completely wasted away - the theory is that he came to die and that the rest of the pod had accompanied him.

We have some rather rare and endangered turtles here and we do take it in turns to nest sit to save the eggs from being dug up - usually by dogs that are being taken for a walk along the beach. On the night of the expected hatching everyone hears on the coconut radio, and folks will go down and stand in two lines to encourage the babies to go in the right direction and also to discourage predators. Every year a few of the eggs are taken from the nest and raised in the aquarium until they are a year or so old - they are then released. They are tagged, of course, and the biologists are doing their best to see what they do and where they go in the wild, as we know very little about turtles years before they are mature enough to return to the beach to lay eggs themselves.

One of the biggest dangers for marine turtles is coastal development. When the hatchlings emerge they head for the lights, usually inland instead of to the sea. Rubbish in the seas is also a big killer of adults. In the normal course of things very few hatchlings survive to adulthood anyway. But humans have been putting up even more obstacles.

I've been involved in turtle research here for several years, tagging (but these days micro-chipping) Flatback Turtles. Satellite tracking devices are being used more and more to find out where they go between breedings. Although the hatchlings are a bit too small for a tracking device.

Some of them have horrific wounds when they come in to nest, usually from sharks and crocodiles. I remember one female had one rear flipper completely missing and the other only half there. She was having real problems trying to dig the nest hole. It's a tough world out there.

Jenny,

That was such a wonderful treat for you, that Monkseal! A few years ago in Miami, we lived in an apartment on the Miami river, and during summer we would have water turtles under the balcony. I have no idea what kind they were, but along the beaches one could see enclosed areas and signs with "protected turtles hatching area... do not use flashlights".
In the winter, we would have some big visitors... I counted 3 manatees one time. They were fun to watch, and I would spend my whole weekend in a 2 by 4 balcony just to get another glimpse!

I took this picture of 2 turtles this weekend from the deck of our condo at the beach. This is the season when the females come in and lay their eggs. It's an incredible thing to watch. Many are very large, we mainly get loggerheads and greens nesting but have quite a few hawksbills feeding in the area. I don't know what these are, I couldn't see them well enough. They were not too large, maybe a 3' shell.

Eco tourism has helped us preserve the turtle nesting areas in some instances. It is now illegal, and enforced, to take the eggs or kill the turtles for food. 15 years ago when I started coming to the area, turtle soup, oil made from the meat, jewelry from the shells - all were commonly sold. Not now. It still happens but it is hidden and education has made a huge difference, the kids don't want to see the turtles harmed. The resorts and condos have been pressured to comply with the 'only red lights' rule on the beach in the summer. The turtles can't see red lights. If you want to go and look for nesting turtles during the season, put red cellophane over your flashlight.

The town our condo is in has a wonderful ecological center that hosts shows and classes for the kids and programs for marine biologists from around the world. Here is their site about our turtles and their programs. http://www.ceakumal.org/1003.html



This message was edited Jun 3, 2009 2:12 PM

Jenny, what a lucky lady to see this beautiful creature! Did you get to see him again? It is heartening to read all the posts about turtles/seals/whales and the enlightened attitude toward preserving these remarkable creatures. It is through sharing these experiences that more people will come to understand that they must be protected, not hunted. Thanks for showing us!

Yokwe,
Shari

Sure need some "under the sea" pictures.

Patience my friend...I'm still working on the Bali pics.

Yokwe,
Shari

We see them all the time here on Kauai. sadly 2 monk seals were shot and killed here recently.. Why would someone do that? so sad.

Shot?!? How terrible! as you said : WHY???


Yokwe,
Shari

Shari

Yes it is totally shocking considering there are only 1100 - 1500 Hawaiian monk seals in the world. The whole island was shocked. All I can say is it must have been some maniac/s. This can be a machismo culture. Who knows?????

Really sad and disturbing, I agree.

The trouble is that populations must stay above a critical number to be sustainable. It varies between species, but too much inbreeding in a small population can produce defects and reduce recruitment into an adult population.