Tag: release

Press Watch, WPTV, November 13, 2009

JUPITER, FL — A young monk seal off the coast of Hawaii is gaining a lot of attention. The seal named KP2 has been featured in the Wall Street Journal  and is the talk of the town from Hawaii to Jupiter. […]

Carmen Colitz of Jupiter will be conducting the surgery to remove its cataracts which has left the 18th month old seal 80% blind. […]

Colitz, a veterinarian specializing in seal and sea lion eye surgery around the world, will head to California to perform the surgery in early Spring. KP2 is in captivity at Waikiki’s aquarium right now. After its surgery in California it will have a permanent home at Sea Life Park in Oahu.

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Press Watch, Honolulu Advertiser, October 28, 2009

A Waikíkí Aquarium Hawaiian monk seal has undergone a thorough physical checkup after falling ill over the weekend.

Nukaau, 29, became lethargic and lost his appetite, said Andrew Rossiter, aquarium director.

“He just doesn’t seem interested in anything,” Rossiter said yesterday. “But when you consider his equivalent to 90-95 years old (in human years), that’s perhaps an off day.” […]

Nuka is one of three monk seals at the aquarium. Another elderly male is on display and a young wild seal, KP2, was recently placed there because of cataracts.

KP2 was raised in captivity. He had been released but recaptured with the goal to relocate him this month because he was interacting with humans and had become too rough.

Continue reading “Tests run on ailing Hawaiian monk seal”

Press Watch, Letters, Honolulu Weekly, October 28, 2009

Some of us from Molokaʻi visited Oahu (The Waikiki Aquarium) to demand that NOAA return our seal, KP2, to Molokaʻi. NOAA came to Molokaʻi early on the morning of Oct. 16 and stole our seal. NOAA promised us at a community meeting that we would have between two and four months to educate our community about dealing with KP2, as this seal pup spent the summer swimming with our kids and joining in our canoe races.

Lies and covert actions don’t go with us, so we will protest and demand that NOAA return our seal, who has become a special hoʻailona for Molokaʻi. KP2 is a living fossil, whose species is more than 10 million years old. They were here before our islands were formed. They are now in near-extinction. KP2 has come to represent us as Hawaiians, as we both struggle for survival in these Hawaiian Islands. How we treat the Hawaiian monk seal is how we can be expected to be treated as Hawaiians.

— Walter Ritte, Kaunakakai, Molokai

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Photo Courtesy KITV

Press Watch, Honolulu Star Bulletin, October 22, 2009

Molokai residents say a federal agency should not have removed a Hawaiian monk seal without their consent

Molokai residents flew to Oahu to protest a federal agency’s removal of a nearly blind Hawaiian monk seal from waters off Kaunakakai.

The residents, who held signs yesterday in front of the Waikiki Aquarium where the seal was taken, said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration removed the seal known as “KP2” without consulting the Molokai community.

They also said the seal should have been treated for cataracts months ago.

“The kids loved that seal,” said Molokai resident Karen Holt. “There was no opportunity to say goodbye. Nothing.”

Keiko Bonk, the Hawaii program director for the Marine Conservation Biology Institute’s monk seal campaign, said there needs to be more communication between the community and NOAA seal recovery officials.

Hanohano Naehu, who lives on Molokai, said federal officials need to find a better way of working with Hawaii residents in the recovery of the monk seals, especially with the animal’s numbers increasing on the island. […]

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Press Watch, Honolulu Advertiser, October 20, 2009

Ailment prevents endangered animal from being set free

The first Hawaiian monk seal successfully raised from birth in captivity was diagnosed with cataracts after being plucked from Kaunakakai Harbor on Friday, which means he won’t be going back to the wild.

It’s rare to see cataracts in a seal so young.

At under 2 years old, the seal — called KP2 — is still considered an adolescent. […]

“Every individual is important to the population,” said David Schofield, NOAA marine mammal response coordinator.

Schofield said it’s believed KP2 developed cataracts at a young age because he missed out on mother’s milk.

So far, Schofield said, scientists have been unable to create a formula that matches the richness of natural seal milk.

KP2 will spend the rest of his life in captivity. Hawaiian monk seals live to be about 25 to 30 years old.

“He will likely spend the rest of his days,” Schofield said, “as an ambassador for monk seals.” […]

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