KONA — Kauai monk seal RH38 is starting to show signs that she’s getting healthier.
She’s still at Ke Kai Ola, the Marine Mammal Center’s hospital on Hawaii Island, and just watched two other seals rehabilitate and leave the hospital.
The seal was transported to Ke Kai Ola in March 2019 with signs of weakness, infection, broad-scale inflammation and malnutrition. She was the first wild Hawaiian monk seal to be put through a CT scan as part of her treatment.
After the landmark scan, veterinarians with Ke Kai Ola diagnosed RH38 in late April with muscle damage due to an unknown trauma, which led to widespread infection and organ damage.
Now, she’s molting.
“RH38 recently shed her fur and top layer of skin in a process known as a ‘molt,’ which is an important signal that her body condition is improving and resuming natural functions,” said Ke Kai Ola staff in a Thursday statement.
While she’s on the mend, RH38 has seen a few seals come and go. Thursday, Ke Kai Ola announced the latest two seals have been released back into the wild after months of rehabilitation at the hospital. They were rescued on Laysan Island last September and were released at the same location.
Those two seals are known as Maiapilo and ‘Akulikuli.
“Both Maiapilo and ‘Akulikuli were prematurely weaned pups that would have died without intervention,” said Dr. Claire Simeone, the Ke Kai Ola hospital director. “For endangered species in particular, every individual is critical, so we are thrilled that they have learned the skills needed to successfully forage and have a second chance at life to help boost the monk seal population.”
Maiapilo and ‘Akulikuli were returned to Laysan Island via the Oscar Elton Sette, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel.
Both seals were fitted with new satellite tags aboard the ship so that researchers can monitor them post-release. Since their release, their satellite tags have shown that Maiapilo has been traveling around the atoll, while ‘Akulikuli has stayed near shore. Both seals have been frequently sighted by field campers stationed on Laysan Island.
Over the course of their rehabilitation, Maiapilo gained 220 pounds and ‘Akulikuli, who was also treated for a mouth ulcer and facial lacerations, gained more than 125 pounds.
“Decades of research on Hawaiian monk seals by our partners at NOAA show that as malnourished pups, both of these seals would have had little to no chance of survival on their own,” Simeone said. “The ability to release Maiapilo and ‘Akulikuli back to their ocean home highlights the critical role that rehabilitation plays in the conservation of this endangered species.”
Rehabilitating RH38 has been an ongoing job for staff at Ke Kai Ola. It’s not the first time that the seal has been at the hospital. Her first visit was in August 2017, when she was rescued from a remote Kauai beach for treatment of malnutrition and parasites. She was treated for three months and released back on Kauai.
Her current condition doesn’t seem to be related to her first visit, veterinarians say.
The Marine Mammal Center has rehabilitated 27 monk seals since opening Ke Kai Ola in 2014. Three of those, including RH38, have been from Kauai.
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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
