OAHU, Hawaii (TND) — Authorities in Hawaii are on the hunt for whoever intentionally killed an endangered juvenile Hawaiian monk seal and are offering a $5,000 reward for any information that will lead to the arrest of the culprit.
The young animal, tagged as “RQ76” and named “Malama,” was killed in March according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement. The juvenile seal was reportedly found dead on the island of O’ahu near Keaau Beach Park.
A post-mortem investigation into the seal’s death “indicated the seal died of severe blunt-force trauma,” according to a release from the NOAA on Tuesday. It’s suspected the young animal was intentionally killed.
We’re asking for help from anyone who may have seen or heard anything related to the killing of this endangered animal which is not only a violation of federal law but a hateful act against all the people who call Hawaii their home,” said Frank Giaretto, Deputy Special Agent in Charge with NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Pacific Islands Division according to the news release.
The Hawaiian monk seal is “one of the most endangered seal species in the world” according to the NOAA, adding that the species is only found in Hawaii and “nowhere else in the world.”
It’s an endangered species that the NOAA points out is protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Hawai‘i law.
The monk seal population has been in decline for six decades, but numbers have been increasing over the past 10 years due in part to NOAA’s and partners’ recovery efforts,” the NOAA says in its release.
Currently, according to the NOAA, the Hawaiian Monk Seal population is estimated to be around 1,570. About 1,200 of the seals are in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and 400 seals reside in the main Hawaiian Islands.
The decline that occurred in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands has been attributed to a number of factors at various regions and time periods,” the NOAA says in its overview of the species. “However, low juvenile survival, likely related to inadequate prey availability, had been the primary driver of the decline during the past 25 years.”
Anyone who has information on the seal’s killing is asked to contact NOAA’s Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964. Again, a $5,000 reward is being offered “for information that leads to a civil penalty or criminal conviction” in the death of Malama the seal.
The NOAA adds in its release that anyone can report “dead, injured, or stranded” marine mammals in Hawaii to the Pacific Islands Region Marine Mammal Response Network at (888) 256-9840.