KAILUA-KONA (AP) — A young Hawaiian monk seal pup found abandoned during a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration survey of Niihau is being treated at a center on the Big Island.
KAILUA-KONA (AP) — A young Hawaiian monk seal pup found abandoned during a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration survey of Niihau is being treated at a center on the Big Island.
The pup was transported Monday to the Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola facility in Kailua-Kona.
Named Kilo, which means “sassy” in Hawaiian, the pup is being treated for malnourishment. NOAA officials said she was emaciated and likely would have died without help.
Ke Kai Ola staff are rehydrating the pup and giving her electrolytes through a stomach tube. Soon, the feeding tube will include fish, but dehydration was the initial concern.
There currently are only about 1,100 monk seals left in Hawaii, making all female seals important to help ensure the future of the species. Ke Kai Ola has rehabilitated eight monk seals in its first year of operation. Six of those seals were successfully returned to the wild and the other two are scheduled for release this weekend.