Last week Thursday, April 23rd, Honey Girl, R5AY/R5AZ “Supermom” of the Hawaiian Monk Seal was found dead on a windward Oahu beach. Her cause of death was not apparent. Due to COVID-19 restrictions she was buried at Kualoa Ranch.
Honey Girl, R5AY and her 11th pup, Keolakai, RK80 on April 22, 2018
In April 2020, we lost two mothers of Hawaiian Monk Seal, Pohaku, Ro28/29 (was born May 3, 2006), and Honey Girl, R5AY/R5AZ (unknow birth date, possibly 23+ years old.) As Endangered Marine animal species, losing females mean many generation’s offspring lost and it is hard to recover its population growth.
Rest in Love and Peace, Pohaku, RO28, and Honey Girl, R5AY. You are greatly missed and we remember you forever!
What is Hawaiian Monk Seal’s main causes of death?
In the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI)
Starvation/malnutrition
Entanglement in marine debris
Shark predation
Habitat loss due to climate change
Aggressive male seals attacking other seals
In the Main Hawaiian Islands
Fishery interaction (hookings and entanglements)
Human disturbance and development
Toxoplasmosis
Disease caused by morbillivirus is also an important threat however a vaccination program is helping protect the species
Fishing interaction NOAA called “a fishing interaction” when Hawaiian Monk Seal gets hooked or entangled in active fishing gear. NOAA scientists found that at least 28% of monk seals in the Main Hawaiian Islands have had a least one run-in with nearshore fishing gear.
For centuries, human impact has been a major factor in the decline of all monk seal populations.
Ghost Nets, fishnets trap and kill a number of the seal by drowning each year. In 2019, at least two young seals, Kuokala, RK88/89 ( a yearly male), and Makoa, RL36/37 (5 months old male) were killed by drowning by gillnet.
Nets that drift ashore are a hazard because seals like to snuggle up to them. A curious seal will often inspect a net that has washed ashore by shoving its nose into the mass. If it gets caught in the net, it will likely strangle itself or die from heatstroke or starvation. Nets in the water also pose a threat because seals that try to eat fish caught in the nets may become snared themselves and drown.
by NOAA Fisheries, Marine Debris Team in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands
Fishing lines Occasionally a seal will get caught on a fishing line while trying to eat the bait. Longline fishing is especially deadly, as fishing vessels set adrift miles of baited fishing lines that indiscriminately kill monk seals and other marine animals along with the intended catch of fish.
Fishing hook Fishing hooks give potential injury to monk seals such as hooking or entanglement, give monk seals trauma, and sometimes it caused monk seals life threatened if the seal injected a hook to its stomach.
by DLNR
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a single-celled protozoan organism, Toxoplasma Gondii. Cats are the definitive host of Toxoplasma and are required for the organism to complete its life cycle. Toxoplasma eggs or oocysts are shed in cat feces and can survive in the environment for a prolonged period of time. Hawaiian Monk Seal ingests the oocysts and the organism becomes encysted in the seal’s tissues. Toxoplasmosis is found worldwide and can cause infection in many animals, birds, and humans.
Since the past, a total of 12 seals died by Toxoplasmosis up to this month.
Please help us to prevent Fishing interactions, infect disease, and Human interactions with Hawaiian Monk Seal and recover its population growth!
References:
NOAA Fisheries, DLNR, and book “Hawaiian Monk Seal” by Patrick Ching
Please join one of our tours to learn more about Hawaiian Monk Seal! We offer a Virtual Online Class as well.
Mahalo for visiting my blog.
