The Maui News

An ailing Hawaiian monk seal on Molokai was transported to the hospital after a concerned resident alerted conservation officials of the animal’s declining condition.

RL68, a 4-year-old female seal, had been losing a significant amount of weight, the community member told officials on April 10. She had also become progressively less energetic over the past several weeks.

Given that the species is endangered, every animal is important to the population, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Islands Fisheries said in a news release Wednesday. Female seals are especially important because they grow the population with every successful pup they birth.

NOAA worked with the community member and the agency’s partner, Hawai’i Marine Animal Response, to gather more information and decided after careful review that medical assessment and treatment were in RL68’s best interest, given her unusually thin body condition and notable behavior change.

With help from the community, a NOAA and Hawai’i Marine Animal Response team successfully located and rescued the seal on April 12.

“RL68 is a well-known seal that frequents west side beaches on Moloka’i,” Todd Yamashita, Hawai’i Marine Animal Response’s Moloka’i community programs manager, said in a news release Wednesday. “But you never really know where a seal is going to be. Imagine our surprise that RL68 — the seal we were looking for — was the first seal we spotted the day of the rescue operation!”

The U.S. Coast Guard was conducting a pre-planned mission on the island on April 13 and offered to transport the seal for emergency care. They took RL68 to the only dedicated monk seal hospital in the state, The Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola hospital in Kona.

At Ke Kai Ola, RL68 received diagnostic testing, including blood tests and X-rays to look for signs of internal trauma or other ailments, according to NOAA and the center. Test results may take several weeks; in the meantime, the center’s animal care experts are providing the seal with hearty meals of calorie-rich herring, along with fluids to help boost her nutritional status and hydration. They’re also treating RL68 for gastroenteritis with antacids and anti-nausea medication.

“RL68 was in poor body condition for a 4-year-old seal and deteriorating quickly, making intervention necessary for her survival,” Dr. Sophie Whoriskey, Hawaiian monk seal conservation veterinarian at The Marine Mammal Center, said in a news release from the center on Wednesday.

During the seal’s initial critical care period that included an admission exam, RL68 was alert and actively exploring her rehabilitation pen, the veterinary team noted.

The center said Wednesday that the seal was in stable condition.

Yamashita expressed “big thanks to Kaohele, Cara, Moloka’i Ranch security personnel, my HMAR team on O’ahu, the NOAA crew for sharing their guidance and knowledge, and the Coast Guard for quick and safe transport of the patient.”

NOAA asks members of the public to keep their distance from endangered monk seals and to call the agency to report sightings. NOAA relies on calls from the public and the support of its partners to help monitor seals and identify any concerns.

The NOAA Fisheries Marine Wildlife Hotline can be reached at (888) 256-9840.