Kaua'i Pup Rescue - NOAA - Honolulu Advertiser

Officials are hopeful that they can save a 2-day-old monk seal found abandoned in a remote part of Kaua'i's North Shore, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said yesterday.
The pup was flown to O'ahu yesterday on a Coast Guard C-130 and was being attended last night by a team of experts, NOAA said.

"We've never dealt with a seal this young before and are guardedly optimistic because dealing with a neonate (newborn) is tricky business," said Charles Littnan, head of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Project. "The animal will be stressed and susceptible to disease, so strict quarantine measures will be observed."

On Friday, a team was sent to Kaua'i to follow up on reports of an abandoned monk seal pup.
When they arrived, they found the pup alone on the beach, said Wende Goo, NOAA spokeswoman.

Shortly afterward a male and female joined the pup, but attempts to reintroduce the pup to the female were unsuccessful. Instead, the female, who is believed to be the same one that abandoned a pup in the same location last year about the same time, exhibited aggressive behavior toward the pup, Goo said. The recovery team then determined that the pup's only chance for survival would be in captive care on O'ahu.

Littnan pressed the quick response of many agencies involved in the rescue.
"NOAA Fisheries is fortunate to have partners like the Coast Guard, the Marine Mammal Center and DLNR supporting us as we could not do this without their help," he said.

Reach Mike Leidemann at mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.