A 19-year-old Eleele man charged with harassing a pregnant Hawaiian monk seal at a beach on Kauai pleaded not guilty Monday before Judge Joe Moss in District Court.
Shylo K. Akuna has been charged with harm or harassment of a monk seal, disorderly conduct and violation of county park rules. His preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday. Akuna is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail.
A video posted on social media showed a man repeatedly punching at the 17-year-old monk seal identified as RK30 at Salt Pond Beach at about 6 p.m. April 26. The seal is pregnant with her seventh pup, officials said. Several eyewitnesses identified Akuna as the man in the video.
Among those who viewed the video was an off-duty conservation enforcement officer on Kauai, who informed his supervisor of the incident.
According to a court document, witnesses observed Akuna approach the seal while it was sleeping on the sand. He threw sand and yelled at the seal. The seal responded by “barking” and attempting to bite Akuna. He allegedly chased RK30 into the water and started, “swinging his fists at the seal.”
Witnesses yelled at Akuna to stop. After Akuna got out of the water and left the beach, witnesses said, RK30 slowly returned to the sand.
Officials said Akuna was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
Kauai police and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration later responded to the scene on the island’s south shore. Biologists observed the seal resting on the west side of the beach with no apparent injuries from the harassment. RK30 has suffered previous injuries, and has scars from a shark attack and entanglement in fishing line, and cuts from a boat propeller.
Kauai police in tandem with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement and NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement arrested Akuna near Eleele on Thursday afternoon.
The “take” of a monk seal, official language meaning harm or harassment, is a felony. Akuna faces penalties of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 if convicted of the offense.
