Press Watch, UC Santa Cruz Press Release, March 18, 2010

Head trainer Beau Richter has Hō'ailona lie on a platform scale so researchers can weigh him. Photo by Terrie Williams.

A young Hawaiian monk seal that was removed from the wild last year for treatment and rehabilitation is providing researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a rare opportunity to study the physiology of this critically endangered species.

Ultimately, the information from these studies can be used to help monk seals in the wild, according to Terrie Williams, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Santa Cruz, who is overseeing the research in coordination with the NOAA Fisheries Service’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, and other researchers.

“No one has ever had the opportunity to conduct these kinds of basic physiological studies with a tropical seal,” she said. “The monk seal population is in trouble, and we hope that these studies will help us to better understand their habitat requirements.”

→ Continue reading KP2 under study at University of California

Press Watch, The Maui News, November 19, 2009

Eight Molokai residents, federal marine fisheries officials and scientists said aloha to the beloved Molokai Hawaiian monk seal “KP2″ at a blessing at the Waikiki Aquarium in Honolulu on Wednesday afternoon.

KP2, who captured the hearts of many on the Friendly Isle while he frolicked at Kaunakakai Wharf, will be soon heading to California to receive surgery for his cataracts. [...]

Moving the nearly 2-year-old seal to Oahu angered some Molokai residents. They named him Hoailona, which means a special seal with a special purpose, said Molokai resident Walter Ritte. They wanted the seal that educated the people and played with their children to stay on Molokai.

Some residents complained that NOAA did not give them notice about moving KP2. But Schofield said there might have been a misunderstanding because NOAA officials notified the public about the move in July.

But on Wednesday, Schofield said scientists and residents came together and brought closure to the issue.

“They are in such trouble,” Schofield said of the Hawaiian monk seal. “We don’t have time to bicker.” [...]

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Press Watch, WPTV, November 13, 2009

JUPITER, FL — A young monk seal off the coast of Hawaii is gaining a lot of attention. The seal named KP2 has been featured in the Wall Street Journal  and is the talk of the town from Hawaii to Jupiter. [...]

Carmen Colitz of Jupiter will be conducting the surgery to remove its cataracts which has left the 18th month old seal 80% blind. [...]

Colitz, a veterinarian specializing in seal and sea lion eye surgery around the world, will head to California to perform the surgery in early Spring. KP2 is in captivity at Waikiki’s aquarium right now. After its surgery in California it will have a permanent home at Sea Life Park in Oahu.

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Press Watch, Honolulu Advertiser, October 28, 2009

A Waikíkí Aquarium staff member offers a fish to Nukaau, a 29-year-old monk seal that hasn't been feeling well lately. Waikíkí Aquarium photo

A Waikíkí Aquarium Hawaiian monk seal has undergone a thorough physical checkup after falling ill over the weekend.

Nukaau, 29, became lethargic and lost his appetite, said Andrew Rossiter, aquarium director.

“He just doesn’t seem interested in anything,” Rossiter said yesterday. “But when you consider his equivalent to 90-95 years old (in human years), that’s perhaps an off day.” [...]

Nuka is one of three monk seals at the aquarium. Another elderly male is on display and a young wild seal, KP2, was recently placed there because of cataracts.

KP2 was raised in captivity. He had been released but recaptured with the goal to relocate him this month because he was interacting with humans and had become too rough.

→ Continue reading Tests run on ailing Hawaiian monk seal

Press Watch, Letters, Honolulu Weekly, October 28, 2009

Some of us from Molokaʻi visited Oahu (The Waikiki Aquarium) to demand that NOAA return our seal, KP2, to Molokaʻi. NOAA came to Molokaʻi early on the morning of Oct. 16 and stole our seal. NOAA promised us at a community meeting that we would have between two and four months to educate our community about dealing with KP2, as this seal pup spent the summer swimming with our kids and joining in our canoe races.

Lies and covert actions don’t go with us, so we will protest and demand that NOAA return our seal, who has become a special hoʻailona for Molokaʻi. KP2 is a living fossil, whose species is more than 10 million years old. They were here before our islands were formed. They are now in near-extinction. KP2 has come to represent us as Hawaiians, as we both struggle for survival in these Hawaiian Islands. How we treat the Hawaiian monk seal is how we can be expected to be treated as Hawaiians.

— Walter Ritte, Kaunakakai, Molokai

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A group of protestors from Molokai demonstrated in front of the Waikiki Aquarium on Wednesday morning against the decision to pull a monk seal out of the wild.

Photo Courtesy KITV