Video Q&A: How Monk Seals On A Honolulu Beach Are Being Protected

The head of Hawaii Marine Animal Response answers questions about preventing harm to the seal and her pup on a Waikiki beach.

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Are there legally enforceable rules about how close people can get to the Hawaiian monk seal and her pup on Kaimana Beach in Waikiki? What laws protect the seals from harm? How was the name for the month-old pup selected?

Those are among the hundreds of questions Civil Beat has received from people who’ve seen the monk seals in person or viewed them on our Facebook livestream since the mom, Rocky, gave birth to the pup, Kaimana, on the beach in late June.

Many people have expressed concerns about how close some people, such as this paddler, are getting to the monk seals on Kaimana Beach in Waikiki. Anthony Quintano/Civil Beat

We asked Jon Gelman, president of Hawaii Marine Animal Response, the volunteers in the blue t-shirts who are on the beach daily ensuring the seals aren’t disturbed, to answer some of your questions.

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