PO‘IPU — It was the perfect day to say goodbye to two members of Kaua‘i’s ‘ohana. Wispy clouds filled the baby blue sky at Po‘ipu Beach Park Thursday morning as the ashes of Hawaiian monk seals’ RK19 and RK06 —
PO‘IPU — It was the perfect day to say goodbye to two members of Kaua‘i’s ‘ohana.
Wispy clouds filled the baby blue sky at Po‘ipu Beach Park Thursday morning as the ashes of Hawaiian monk seals’ RK19 and RK06 — both shot to death in recent months — were cast out to sea by Hawaiian cultural practitioner Kumu Sabra Kauka during a traditional island ceremony.
“All of our community must understand the importance of these animals; they are kama‘aina,” she said. “As part of our kuleana as human beings, we have the responsibility toward taking care of all life on the land and in the sea.”
Tears were shed as volunteers joined with representatives from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service and the Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation to pay their respect to the ancient species which first made its way to the Hawaiian islands some 14 to 15 million years ago, long before human beings arrived and even prior to the birth of the Main Hawaiian Islands.
“They have been on these islands longer than we have; they have been in this ocean longer than we have,” Kauka said Wednesday in a phone interview. “They have every bit as much right to live on this earth as we do.”
The two seals whose lives were cut short were among the approximately 1,200 remaining throughout the islands today.
Many of the seals enjoy close relationships with volunteers and staff. In fact, RK06, a female, was known for her strong character after surviving a tiger shark attack. She was pregnant with her sixth baby at the time she was killed, though was able to pass her strength on to her other keiki, said Dr. Mimi Olry, Kaua‘i marine mammal response coordinator for NOAA.
“It was especially painful to lose these animals, and in particular, strong devoted females like RK06 that are such good mothers,” she said.
RK19 was a 5-year-old male that regularly traversed the island, according to Olry.
“He liked to play in scuba divers’ light beams,” Olry said. “He was a character and will be missed … already his younger sister is following his flipper footsteps and is circumnavigating the islands.”
Olry also expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the many volunteers who “help care for the monk seals that are so special.”
The turnout for Thursday’s memorial service helped NOAA marine mammal stranding coordinator David Schofield realize that “maybe the seals didn’t die in vain.”
Schofield has taken the opportunity to create an educational platform and raise awareness about the importance the species’ bring to the islands’ ecosystems.
“We need to learn to coexist,” he said.
Schofield sought to address several monk seal misconceptions. He said there is abundant physical evidence they were around centuries ago, including bones found at Lapakahi State Historical Park on the Big Island and tombs made with their bones, dating as far back as the 1400s.
The rapid decline of their population most likely didn’t occur until the 1800s, and it is possible that an 1859 European expedition wreaked major havoc on their capacity to survive, where some 1,500 pelts were gathered, Schofield said.
“We are just now starting to see recovery,” he said, adding that they might finally be making their way back to the main Hawaiian Islands.
Other misconceptions about the monk seal include feeding habits. They are known to eat a diversity of fish, foraging in different areas, including near shore to depths of 250 feet, while sometimes diving up to 1500 feet, Schofield said.
There is only a “small amount of fish that they consume which overlaps with shoreline fishers,” he said, and suggests that there are several ways interactions can be avoided.
In fact, he adds NOAA is willing to work with local fishers and encourages individuals to contact them for advice and proper equipment — which NOAA will even pay for — to stop potentially harmful situations before they start.
No arrests have been made in connection with the shootings. An individual in NOAA’s office for law enforcement on Thursday declined to confirm the next step in the investigation, saying only, “We have hopes that we will resolve this soon and favorably.”
To report an injured marine mammal, call 888-256-9840, and to report a marine mammal sighting, call 651-7668.
•Coco Zickos, business and environmental writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com
