Mother seal attacks swimmer with her pup nearby in Hawaii, video shows
A swimmer was injured after being attacked by a mother monk seal that was defending her 2-week-old pup in Hawaii, wildlife officials said.
In a video shared with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, a mother Hawaiian monk seal can be seen approaching the swimmer at Kaimana Beach in Waikiki before attacking on Sunday, July 24.
“Oh my God! Where’s the lifeguard?” one onlooker can be heard saying in the video.
The woman remains in the water with onlookers yelling, “Get out. Get out of the water!”
A kayaker came to the swimmer’s rescue and brought her safely ashore, with two bystanders carrying her on the beach, the video shows.
“If it wasn’t for the kayak guy paddling over to save her she would have got like chomped,” witness Curt Otsuka told Hawaii News Now.
The swimmer was transported by emergency medical services for additional treatment, the Hawaii Marine Animal Response said in a news release.
The seal, Rocky, has been at Kaimana Beach since giving birth, according to HMAR.
“Rocky and pup are still on the beach and their behavior seems normal,” the nonprofit commented on Facebook after the incident.
The nonprofit recommends visitors stay at least 50 feet away from monk seals and give monk seal mothers with a pup three times that space, staying at least 150 feet away.
“People are again reminded that Hawaiian monk seal moms with pups are protective, can be dangerous, and have inflicted serious wounds on nearby swimmers,” Hawaii Marine Animal Response said.
This is Rocky’s 14th birth and her sixth male pup.
For the past six decades, Hawaiian monk seal populations had been declining, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.
“The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world,” according to NOAA Fisheries.
Recently, populations have been increasing in part because of the organization’s recovery efforts.
Still, there are only about 1,500 Hawaiian seal monks left in the world.
This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Mother seal attacks swimmer with her pup nearby in Hawaii, video shows."
