HONOLULU — A monk seal gave birth Wednesday night at Sand Island Recreation Park Area. This is the first time on record that a monk seal has given birth at the beach park.
Mother Rocky’s last two pups were born at Kaimana Beach. Officials thought Rocky might return to the popular Waikiki beach, but she was seen recently swimming offshore near Sand Island. Still, DLNR said in a news release it was a surprise she decided to give birth at Sand Island, which is within a heavily industrialized area.
Last Month, Kaiwi, another monk seal mother, gave birth at Kaimana Beach. This was the third time Kaiwi had given birth at Kaimana Beach. In 2022 and 2021, Rocky also gave birth to pups at Kaimana Beach.
Hawaii Marine Animal Rescue put up fencing to block off an area around Rocky and her pup. NOAA, DLNR and HMAR will monitor the area until the pup weans in five to seven weeks.
“On weekends and holidays in particular, Sand Island SRA is heavily used. We strongly request that people stay outside of the cordons and follow directions from HMAR representatives to keep a safe and respectful distance from the mother and seal pup,” said Curt Cottrell, administrator of the DLNR Division of State Parks, in a statement.
Officials are especially concerned about off-leash dogs and stray cats at Sand Island. In May, on the North Shore, an off-leash dog attacked and killed a newborn monk seal pup. Stray cats carry the disease toxoplasmosis, which can kill monk seals.
“We are asking people to stop feeding cats and to leave your dogs at home – dogs are not allowed at Sand Island,” Cottrell said.
Rocky is 24 years old, and this is her 15th pup.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.