Rocky the Hawaiian monk seal has returned to Kaimana Beach, where she first became famous for giving birth to first one, and then two pups at the popular Waikiki location.
The celebrity monk seal, also known as RH58, has been sighted at Kaimana since Monday, according to observers, resting and sunbathing along the shoreline.
Volunteers from Hawaii Marine Animal Response have been keeping an eye on Kaimana since her arrival at the beach.
Officials are once again reminding the public to keep a distance from endangered monk seals resting on shorelines, and to observe signs and perimeters set up around them.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recommends maintaining a distance of at least 50 feet from monk seals on land and in water. For monk seal moms and pups, NOAA recommends a distance of at least
150 feet because mothers can be territorial and
protective.
NOAA also said this is to avoid disturbing them and ensuring the mother remains with her pup. Monk seals typically nurse their pups for five to seven weeks.
Hawaiian monk seals give birth throughout the year, according to NOAA, but peak pupping season is March through August.
Rocky first caused a stir when she gave birth to a pup in June 2017 at Kaimana, attracting throngs of onlookers. She usually gives birth on Kauai, her own birthplace, but returned to Kaimana again last summer to give birth to a pup named
Koalani.
While there is a lot of speculation, Rocky is not likely to be giving birth again, given the time that has passed since she gave birth to Koalani, her 14th pup, on July 9, 2022. Monk seals generally give birth to a single pup every one to two years, according to NOAA, but consistently with more than a year in between.
Rocky, who gave birth to her first pup in 2006, is one of several monk seal matriarchs in Hawaii that have contributed to the
recovery of the species through many offspring.
Kaimana, Rocky’s first pup born at Kaimana Beach, gave birth in late January to her own first healthy pup, named U‘i Mea Ola by students at Kahuku Elementary School.
Volunteers are watching over U‘i, who has successfully weaned from Kaimana, at a remote Oahu beach.
Hawaiian monk seals, with only about 1,500 left in the wild, are one of the most endangered seal species in the world and are protected by state and federal laws. Under Hawaii law, the harassment of a monk seal is considered a Class C felony, punishable by imprisonment and fines.
Sightings of monk seals can be reported to NOAA’s marine wildlife hotline at 888-256-9840.
