Federal authorities are proposing to euthanize two adult male Hawaiian monk seals at Kure Atoll to protect pups there and stop the critically endangered species’ population from declining further.  

One of the two seals attacked pups in previous years but became more aggressive this year. The other began attacking pups this year.

The Hawaiian monk seal population numbers about 1,100 and is declining about 4 percent per year. Scientists say the species could disappear in 50 to 100 years if the trend isn’t reversed.