Wildlife officials in Hawaii say a monk seal has been found dead in Oahu – the second seal death reported on the island in three months.
A team with Hawai’i Marine Animal Response said they located the body of a 3-month-old seal named Hoʻomau Lehua on the North Shore of the island, home to the state’s capital of Honolulu.
The seal was found dead Monday and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is investigating the seal’s cause of death, the team reported.
“This was a shock to all of us, Lehua was so young, only born in February of this year, and each time we saw her she seemed to be doing well for herself,” HMAR posted on Facebook Wednesday.
Lehua’s death comes just months after another female monk seal was found dead on an area beach.
The team identified that seal as Malama and reported the female was found dead on March 12 at ʻŌhikilolo, between Keaʻau Beach Park and Mākua Valley. The area is southwest of the North Shore.
NOAA investigates seal killing in HawaiiThis seal was killed 3 months after being released into the wild: ‘We’re asking for help’
‘Shocked an saddened’
According to the team, NOAA conducted a necropsy on Malama and found the female seal was intentionally killed as a result of blunt force trauma.
“We were shocked and saddened to find out that the evidence points to an intentional killing. Malama was well known in the monk seal community after having gone to the Marine Mammal Center for care as she was malnourished post-weaning,” the team posted on Facebook. “Her death has hit us and our partners particularly hard due to the amount of time spent with her.”
So far no one has been arrested in connection to the seal’s death.
Hawaiian monk seals are an endangered species with just 1,500 known in the main Hawaiian Islands, according to NOAA. The species are protected by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Alaska moose test positive for rabies‘Stumbling, drooling’ moose tests positive for rabies in Alaska, a state first
Necropsy findings and a $5K reward
On Wednesday, HMAR said NOAA conducted a necropsy on Lehua on Tuesday and “while additional findings will take time, they found no signs of blunt force trauma. But official results from the necropsy could take months to be released, the team reported.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the successful prosecution of anyone responsible for intentionally killing Malama.
Anyone with further information about the seal’s death is asked to contact NOAA or the Marine Wildlife team.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
