The Latest Information on Hoku - from Jennifer Maldonado

Aloha Volunteers,

For those of you who are unaware, a dead male monk seal was found on the beach in Waimanalo this morning. He was confirmed to be Hoku (RW18). This is PO2 from the Northshore Crawford pupping site, son of R5AY (Honeygirl). Hoku's necropsy was this afternoon but unfortunately he had passed 24-48 hours prior so there was not any conclusive information to determine the cause of death. Tissue samples have been collected and further research will be conducted. We may never know exactly what happened.

So inlight of the current sadness I would like to suggest what so many of you have already expressed, let's get more involved and help protect this fragile species. The next opportunity is to participate in the upcoming Monk Seal Count on October 18th. You should all have received an email asking you to RSVP where you can pick your zones. The data collected by the volunteers will be used to help understand the main island population better. The volunteer meeting at the Ewa Beach Library, tomorrow (Monday, Oct. 6) at 6pm will go on as scheduled and I hope many of you will be able to attend. And as always, tell more people about our beloved Monk Seals and why they are so important to Hawaii.

Aloha, Jen Maldonado