Rocky, a well-known Hawaiian monk seal, returned to Kaimana Beach in Waikiki to give birth to a pup Saturday, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Rocky and her new pup were resting on the beach Saturday along with another monk seal, Kaiwi, who stayed a distance away from the other two. Mesh fencing sectioned off half the beach to give Rocky and her pup ample space and keep onlookers from bothering the pair during this sensitive bonding time.

“(Hawaii Marine Animal Response) and NOAA Fisheries are monitoring the mother and pup,” Jon Gelman, president of the response group, said in a statement. “We ask that the public please give the mother and pup plenty of space to avoid disturbing them in order to ensure the mother remains with her pup, and the pup gets the nutrition it needs to develop properly.”

Volunteers at the scene who were observing the pup were unsure of its gender, he said. Gender can be determined visually by getting a clear view of a seal’s undersides, which volunteers haven’t been able to do yet with Rocky’s newborn.

The other half of Kaimana Beach was occupied Saturday by beachgoers, and while there was some fanfare for the trio of resting marine mammals, throughout most of the day the seals were given space to relax.

Kristin Esteban, a Hawaii resident who goes to the beach often, said she’s seen monk seals there before.

“I feel like every time the four of us are here we see them,” said Esteban, who was at the beach with sons Everest and Elias, ages 6 and 4, and their grandmother, Lisa Uyehara. All four checked out the seals from behind the fencing.

NOAA Fisheries said the seals are likely to remain at Kaimana Beach for approximately five to seven weeks while the pup nurses. The agency recommends giving Hawaiian monk seal mothers and pups at least 150 feet of space on land and in the water.

“Mother seals can be very protective of their young and are more likely to exhibit territorial behavior with a pup,” NOAA Fisheries said in a news release. “Stay behind any fencing or signs and listen carefully to the instructions of officials on site. Monk seals can move especially fast in the water. Be sure to give them extra space and be alert when you’re in the water.”

The 22-year-old Rocky has been a prolific breeder since giving birth to her first pup in 2006; this latest offspring is her 14th. According to the news release, the Kauai- born seal first swam to Oahu at age 3 and soon became a regular, returning to Kauai only to pup.

All of her offspring were born on the Garden Isle until June 29, 2017, when Rocky famously gave birth to Kaimana, the first pup known to have been born on Kaimana Beach.

After weaning, NOAA Fisheries had to relocate Kaimana to a more quiet beach on Oahu because of the large crowds that gathered to watch her and the young seal’s habit of venturing into the potentially dangerous Natatorium.

Kaiwi also is no stranger to Waikiki, and in April 2021 she gave birth to her own pup at Kaimana Beach.

Hawaiian monk seals are among the world’s most endangered seal species, with only 300 to 400 individuals in the main Hawaiian islands, according to NOAA Fisheries, and about 1,200 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The total population had been declining until about 2013, the release said, but this year the agency announced that the total population had exceeded 1,500 individuals for the first time in more than 20 years.