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Wildlife Featured in this article
- Hawaiian monk seal
Hawaiian beach reopens after seal pup weans
The pup was the fourth Hawaiian monk seal born on the popular beach in recent years
A popular beach in Honolulu has reopened after a Hawaiian monk seal pup weaned and was relocated. Officials had closed a portion of Kaimana Beach in April to protect the pup and its mother while it nursed. Officials kept a round-the-clock watch on the pair. After the pup weaned, wildlife officials relocated it to another beach. In the past six years, three other monk seals have given birth there, on a popular strip of beach in Waikiki. Last year, a 60-year-old California tourist was injured after being pulled into the surf by a mother seal protecting her pup. Fewer than 1,600 Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) remain in the wild. Disturbing them is a felony.
Header Image: Waikiki’s popular Kaimana Beach was closed to protect a Hawaiian monk seal and her pup. Credit: Department of Land and Natural Resources