COURTESY HAWAII MARINE ANIMAL RESPONSE
NOAA confirmed that Hawaiian monk seal RU02, also known as ʻUmiʻumi, died of toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease.
Wildlife authorities have confirmed the death of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal pup earlier this month on Oahu’s North Shore.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last Wednesday, there was a report of a deceased monk seal entangled in an unattended fishing net about 10 yards off shore of an area west of Mokuleia Beach Park.
NOAA’s nonprofit partner, Hawaii Marine Animal Response, along with state conservation officers responded, and retrieved the pup and net from the ocean.
NOAA has identified the pup as RV36, an approximately three-month-old male pup born in late April at Kaena Point State Park.
“Our experts will conduct a necropsy to attempt to determine RV36’s cause of death,” said NOAA in a post. “This postmortem examination may help shed light on whether the seal’s death was caused by the entanglement, or whether other factors may have been involved.”
As part of standard procedure, NOAA has alerted its Office of Law Enforcement of the death.
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The pup’s death follows that of another monk seal, RUO2, known to most as ‘Umi‘umi, several months ago.
NOAA said the 1-year-old male was found dead on Oahu’s North Shore in early May.
HMAR recovered the seal, and after conducting a necropsy, or post-mortem exam, NOAA confirmed ‘Umi‘umi died from toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease.
Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii — a microscopic parasite that reproduces in the intestines of cats.
NOAA said warm-blooded animals like RU02 are infected after ingesting food or water contaminated by the infectious eggs, which enter the environment through cat feces.
Once infected, the parasite can cause severe inflammation and dysfunction in a seal’s vital organs, including the brain, heart, liver, and lungs. There is no vaccine or cure for toxoplasmosis.
Volunteers that track the monk seals are lamenting the losses.
Students at Waialua Elementary School had named the seal ‘Umi‘umi, which translates to “whiskers” in Hawaiian. The seal was the son of Keolakai, or RK80, and grandson of beloved monk seal matriarch nicknamed “Honey Girl,” or R5AY.
NOAA said toxoplasmosis is one of the leading causes of death in monk seals in the main Hawaiian Islands, and that it has taken the lives of at least 17 seals since 2001. Other threats include entanglement in fishing gear, habitat loss, and human-seal interactions.
The Hawaiian monk seal is the last surviving species in its genus, and is protected by both federal laws such as the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act. Only an estimated 1,600 remain in the wild.
See a dead or injured seal? Report it to NOAA’s hotline at (888) 256-9840.