Hawaiian Monk Seal and Threats
Hawaiian Monk Seals face a new threat from a pathogen in cat feces that is carried to the ocean in polluted runoff and sewage. Experts worry that the disease, toxoplasmosis, will derail efforts to restore this endangered species. Over the past ten years, the cat parasite has killed at least four monk seals in the main Hawaiian islands – two from Kauai, one from Oahu, one from Molokai, and perhaps more. In the past decade, toxoplasmosis has been regularly found in a wide range of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins, as well as seabirds, and the endangered Hawaiian crow.
No studies have been done in Hawaii, but in California, researchers have found that it infects sea otters mainly though runoff from urban areas. Flushing cat litter down the toilet is one pathway, since sewage treatment does not always kill the parasite’s hardy eggs, called oocysts. Studies have found that oocysts can live for at least two years in sea water.
Although domestic cats are considered the main source, feral cats in remote areas also transmit the disease. Nearly 40 percent of cats captured from the slopes of Mauna Kea, on the island of Hawaii, tested positive for toxoplasmosis. The state Division of Forestry and Wildlife estimates that 300,000 to 400,000 free-ranging cats live on Maui alone.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is considered the most endangered pinniped in the United States. Their overall population is declining at a rate of about 4.5 percent a year. The good news is that in recent years, their numbers have been growing in the main Hawaiian islands. With only about 1,100 monk seals left in the wild, each death is very concerning, and now toxoplasmosis is one of the primary concerns. To raise public awareness about toxoplasmosis and cat feces, NOAA has begun talking with the Hawaii Humane Society, various interest groups, and the health department.
Hawaiian Endangered Species
Before It’s too Late – Hawaii Isles of Extinction is a video about Hawaii’s unique plants, birds, and animals that are under threat from habitat destruction, development, pollution, and alien pests. It takes you on an unforgettable journey to some of Hawaii’s most spectacular islands to meet some of the rarest and most critically endangered creatures on the planet.
Today, with so many native species struggling for survival, this paradise has become known as the endangered species capital of the world. This video covers challenges facing the Green Sea Turtle, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Hawaiian Monk Seal, coral reefs, plants, and Hawaiian birds. You will see the struggle many Hawaiian species face and meet the determined people who are acting to save them before it’s too late.
Hawaiian Monk Seal Track
Hawaiian Monk Seals have been fitted with small transmitters glued on their back to help scientists understand their behavior in the main Hawaiian islands. For the seals’ health and safety, it must be hauled out in a sandy spot safe for restraint. The seal cannot be young, pregnant, nursing, molting, or otherwise already stressed.
Once attached, these devices reveal their movements, how deep they dive, when they haul out on land, and how far they roam. The seals are monitored remotely until the transmitters are shed when seals molt. One seal, known as RO18, often travels back and forth between Oahu, Niihau, and Kauai where he has been spending time with an adult female (RK13). This video tracks his movements.
Hawaiian Monk Seal Recognition
National Wildlife Federation and American Girl are partnering to help raise awareness of endangered animals like the Hawaiian Monk Seal. Kanani Akina
American Girl encourages girls to dream, to grow, to aspire, to create, and to imagine through a wide range of engaging and insightful books. Through Kanani, girls will discover that everyone has something to share to make life better for other people and also wildlife. Kanani is a beautiful 18-inch doll featuring long, wavy medium-brown hair and hazel eyes, and an array of outfits, and accessories like a paddleboard set, a plush Hawaiian monk seal, a shave ice stand, and two books that tell her story.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the world’s most endangered species, with a current population of around 1,100 seals living solely in Hawaiian waters. With the purchase of every plush monk seal sold in 2011, American Girl is donating $1 (up to a maximum of $100,000) to NWF’s wildlife education programs. “There has never been an opportunity anywhere near this scale to develop widespread name recognition for this animal, and that can lead to awareness, knowledge and stewardship,” said the Kaua‘i Monk Seal Watch Program.
Hawaiian Monk Seal Privilege
The Hawaiian Monk Seal has lived in the waters and reefs of the Hawaiian Islands for the past thirteen million years. But currently, it is a privilege to see one, because it is the most endangered marine mammals in the world. Over the last 50 years, the Hawaiian Monk Seal population has declined by more than 60% and is now at its lowest level in recorded history. Fewer than 1100 Hawaiian Monk Seals (Monachus schauinslandi) remain in the wild.
Most Hawaiian Monk Seals can be found around the Northwest Hawaiian Islands in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, but a growing number now live in the main Hawaiian Islands. Their Hawaiian name is Ilio-holo-ikauaua (meaning dog that runs in the sea, and pronounced ee-lee-o holo ee ka ooa-ooa). They spend a majority of their lives at sea, but come to shore to give birth, molt, and to find shelter from large storms.
They mature at around five and ten years of age and can live for twenty-five to thirty years. But, survival rates of monk seal pups have dropped dramatically, and as the older breeding females begin to pass away, there are fewer younger animals maturing. It is up to us to do everything we can to help these seals that are found nowhere else on earth recover to viable numbers.
- Do not disturb, feed, pursue, encourage, or otherwise approach seals.
- Seals need undisturbed rest on land – it is critical for their survival.
- Remain out of sight, if possible.
- Keep at least 100 feet away, or more if encountering a mother and pup.
- Although monk seals may approach people, always move away to avoid interaction.
- Keep dogs away from seals.
- Contact with humans or dogs may transmit diseases.
Papahanaumokuakea and Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll (Pihemanu) is a circular-shaped atoll in Papahanaumokuakea with three small islets – Sand, Eastern, and Spit. The land area is about 1,535 acres, and the reef is around 85,900 acres. Captain N.C. Brooks, of the ship Gambia, landed on Midway in 1859. Other visitors included the castaway crews of several large sailing vessels who built huts on the island and awaited rescue by passing vessels. More visitors made their way to Midway during the late 1800′s to collect feathers and eggs.
Its geographical position midway between San Francisco and Japan made the island a critical link in cable communications in the early 1900′s, and later a plane stop. Work began on a military facility at Midway in March 1940, and during World War II it served as an important naval air station and submarine base. The atoll was attacked on December 7th 1941, and again during the Battle of Midway on June 4th – 6th 1942, considered as the watershed moment in the tide of the Pacific War.
Nearly two million birds of nineteen different species nest on Midway including Laysan Albatross (largest colony in the world), Black-footed Albatross, Red-tailed Tropicbirds, White Terns, Black and Brown Noddies, Shearwaters, Bonin Petrels, Bristle-thighed Curlews, Ruddy Turnstones, and the endangered Short-tailed Albatross.
The waters abound with Spinner Dolphins, Hawaiian Monk Seals, Green Sea Turtles, and more than 250 species of fish including Hawaiian Grouper (Hapu`upu`u), Jack (Ulua), Goatfish (Kumu), Bluestripe Snapper (Ta’ape), and sharks. Midway Atoll is the second most northern atoll in the world and lies near the northern limit of coral growth. Sixteen species of stony coral have been reported, as well as several algaes, seagrass, urchins, bi-valve clams, and sponges.
Prior to human settlement, Midway’s islands consisted primarily of large sand dunes and a small variety of native plants, which included beach naupaka, native bunch grass, and beach morning glory. Three-fourths of Midway’s plant species were introductions, including weeds, ornamental shrubs, exotic vegetables, coconut palms, and ironwood. Major efforts are underway to control alien species and restore native habitats.
