Monday, March 16, 2015

3/16/2015 Haupu Captured by NOAA Team

The following photos fall under NOAA Permit # 932-1905 and should not be reproduced without the permission of NOAA.  
Here's the NOAA Team very carefully getting Haupu out of the Lagoon onto shore
 Oh this girl is GREEN!!!!!
 Take car Haupu I hope they can help you out

5 comments:

madhatter said...


Hope Haupu will be ok.

barbara said...

We had been monitoring Haupu for weeks. She began floating in the canal, at Maipalaoa...before giving birth at KoOlina.

She wasnt doing much of anything back then, JUST FLOATING.

Then somehow made her way to KoOlina, last seen on land with Kolohe RW22..Paradise Cove.

From our first meeting at Makaha, couple of years ago, I saw this seal as a paper thin female, with not much energy. She was with Benny at the time at the Hawaiian Princess. He looked at her as if, there was something not going on properly. He got up higher, she stayed being blasted by the waves. He went down to her, just staring at her, as if HE wanted her to follow him. I thought, wow, that is amazing to witness. He knew she wasnt all that energetic.

Then she was seen all around the island, she was busy traveling, running from the males.

SHe found White Plains, she was becoming the new Plains seal.

She got Pregnant..we observed her with the males, still not 100 % mean like the other females are...with the boys. She was a more gentler seal.

She lost her kid, oh how saddened I felt..poor girl.

She disappeared and was found on Kauai...already molted and pretty again.

She got pregnant again...bit by a dog, had a antibiotic shot to help her along, as she began floating.

After the shot, she was so much better and kept hauling out.

She got bigger and bigger, was very slow to come on shore..but stayed till night or high tide at Plains.

Then she found the canals in Maili..going one mile inland. Not good, canal full of run off, junk, dead animals, debris. She was seen with Kolohe last on LAND. She seemed so slow, and not really fighting off Kolohe's advances. But she tried in her sweet way.

After Paradise Cove, she began floating all day long every day at Maipalaoa. People threw rocks at her many times. She came to reef and rested her chin on rocks.

After her floating in Maili, she moved to KoOlina, floating daily in every lagoon, mostly, Lagoon 2,3 and then, she aborted her fetus on March 5th at Lagoon 4..a day I will never forget. I saw her boy, dead on shore, in a net.

From that day, you could see her slowly getting worse, and her color changing, ALGAE GROWTH all over her. We never saw her eat, hunt, just FLOATED.

We asked Auntie Nettie to bless her and she was kind enough to do that for us. She was hanging the entire day at Lani's.

March 16..she was seen floating in Lagoon 2 per Mark.

She was observed with snorklers, IN HER FACE and not darting away.

In the end, NOAA captured her in a pen,very gently, brought to shore and was removed, from KoOlina.

Our thanks to NOAA for their compassion, To the ALOHA TEAM who was there for weeks, keeping people away from her.

I hope the vets can help her out, she was so yellow green yesterday. She hardly even moved, just barked alot. SHE NEEDED HELP. SHE NEEDED HELP.

Prayers to her, I hope she will live to be a mom someday...she will always be our Malasada..so sweet and gentle.

Oh and after her capture and removal from KoOlina, many folks CLAPPED, that was so cool.

The workers, tourists came over and thanked all for their work with Haupu. Lots of tourists knew the story of HAUPU, RB24 and saw what was going on.

Melanie said...

Thank you NOAA and especially Barbara and Robert who put in so many hours and miles monitoring seals. Thanks, too, Barbara for this brief history of Haupu.

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing this backstory on Haupu, Miss Barbara. I too hope to see her become a healthy mom someday. Prayers and blessings for sweet Haupu.

b said...

WE thought that when she was finally captured, it would be better for her. Maybe she could get some help to improve her health.

Never did we expect DEATH.

How sad a story of Miss Haupu RB24.

What Happened ??? Why did she float for weeks??? Why has she lost her 2nd son???????

We may never learn WHY? It hurts so bad...to not be able to see her on shore ever again.

My heart aches!!!!!!! The tears fall...

Dam it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!