The Garden Island newspaper is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for fatally bludgeoning a female Hawaiian monk seal pup in Anahola, Kauai.
"This is the fifth illegal killing of critically endangered monk seals in Hawaii since 2011," said Bill Buley, the newspaper’s editor in chief. "We must put an end to this senseless slaughter of Hawaiian monk seals. We hope this reward will convince someone to step forward with information that will lead to the person or persons responsible for this heinous act."
The reward matches the $10,000 offered by the Humane Society of the United States, Conservation Council of Hawaii, Center for Biological Diversity and Monk Seal Foundation.
The monk seal, identified as RF58, was found dead from blunt force trauma on an Anahola beach Nov. 30. She was born June 28 at Waipake Beach, where she was also seen in apparent good health less than 24 hours before she was found bludgeoned.
Dennis Francis, president of Oahu Publications Inc., which publishes The Garden Island and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, said the only way for whoever killed the seal to be brought to justice is if the community works together to find the perpetrators.
"We applaud The Garden Island’s community spirit in posting this reward," Francis said.
"This killing of a protected monk seal pup and the ones preceding it are abhorrent and go against everything that these islands stand for. Someone knows who did this, and the rewards posted by The Garden Island and other concerned community and environmental groups hopefully will lead to an arrest and conviction."
Under Hawaii law it is a felony to kill a monk seal, punishable by fines of up to $50,000 and five years in prison. It is also a federal crime to kill or harm a Hawaiian monk seal.
There have been four other suspicious deaths of monk seals since 2011 — two on Kauai and two on Molokai. Rewards also have been offered for arrests and convictions in those deaths.
Anyone with information about any of the monk seal fatalities can call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at 800-853-1964 or the DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement at 800-356-7847 or 643-3567. All information will be kept confidential.
