8/12/2018 Monk Seal Dailies: (part 2) Lesley's Ka'ena Update

Hard to stay put on your day off when action is right in front of your house.

Friends of the kids came to tell me there were 2 seals on the beach. RN58 “Luana” (F) was on our left side beach access and RK40 “Napua” (F) D100 on our right side beach access.  I did some outreach with campers and came up to write a report.

This afternoon I went back down. “Luana” had left and “Napua” was still in the same place. Unfortunately there was a family of 10 in the water and a beautiful Setter off leash on the beach. I went up to do an outreach about the dog and looking towards Birth Beach I saw a head bobbing and moving fast our way. We got everybody out of the water fast, the seal came by “chick seeking” went back to Keiki Coves and came back again. One of the teenager girls had gone back in the water and the seal came right up to her. By then the father believed every single word I had said. Including my prediction of the seal going to haul out near the weaner. It sure did.

It laid it’s head on “Napua” and she woke up startled. They did some sweet head, smell, nozzle action. Big male seal rolled back into the water to the delight of the little kids. “Napua” followed him. They played around in shallow water and moved all the way to Keiki Coves. The male went over to Birth Beach and I followed him to the end of the beach. He went towards KPt. Little Napua stayed around the outside of the Keiki Coves than headed out towards the outer reefs.

I called the Hotline but had to ID the male back home after downloading my photos.

On the first couple of them I IDed R330 “Squinty” by the scars on his head and neck and by the severe cataract on his left eye.

I called the Hotline back to give his ID. More tomorrow