SEATTLE — Hawaii conservation officers are investigating after a man from Washington allegedly threw a rock at a Hawaiian monk seal off Maui.
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said its Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, known as DOCARE, responded Monday to reports of monk seal harassment near Lahaina after social media posts appeared to show a man throwing a rock toward a seal in the water.
The raw video, provided to KOMO News by the original witness, shows the man appear to pick up a large rock off the beach and hurl it at the seal, landing near or on the animal’s head and causing it to rear out of the water.
According to the department, an officer contacted a 37-year-old man from Washington who matched the description provided by a witness. Authorities said the man was detained, identified, and informed of his legal rights before requesting an attorney and declining to make a statement.
The state said the investigation will be referred to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement because Hawaiian monk seals are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. The man has not been charged, and officials did not release his identity.
Comment with Bubbles
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (70)
Hawaiian monk seals are protected under both federal and state law, and it is illegal to harass, feed, or harm them.
