Last Friday, The Molokai News reported that a monk seal was deliberately killed near Molokai. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is continuing to investigate the death of the endangered animal. A necropsy last week determined that in fact it had been killed intentionally, according to David Schofield of NOAA.
A monk seal similar to this one at Kepuhi Beach on Molokai's West End, was found dead near the Kahinapohaku Fishpond on the south shore.
It was the third case this year in which a seal was killed by humans in Hawaii. The other two killings occurred on Kauai.
At this time NOAA is not releasing details about how the Molokai seal was killed, so as to not hinder its investigation, Schofield said.
The seal was a known resident of Molokai and was considered by scientists to have been in his 20s, robust and in good health, Schofield said. The animal was easily identifiable because one of his rear flippers was amputated sometime before 2005.
Molokai resident Leimana Naki told George Peabody of the Molokai Advertiser-News that he found the carcass outside the reef breakers and towed it to shore with his kayak.
Peabody told the Honolulu Advertiser that Naki is a caretaker of the Kahinapohaku Fishpond and is active in caring for the Molokai nearshore environment.
The wild population of the seals is 1,200 or less and dropping 4 percent a year.
Filed under: News
