Press Watch, Molokai Dispatch, 17 October 2009
KP2, the young Hawaiian monk seal that had made Kaunakakai Wharf his home, was taken from the area by NOAA yesterday morning. He is currently being held at Waikiki Aquarium for a thorough medical exam, according to NOAA biologist David Schofield. Schofield would not say how long KP2 would remain at the aquarium or what the next move might be.
The community has mixed feelings about the seal’s departure. NOAA has discussed relocating KP2 to Ka`ula Rock near Niihau west of Kauai. Karen Holt of the Molokai Community Service Council said she is worried about the seal’s safety.
“The tiger shark population in the Ka’ula area is large and aggressive,” she explained.
Holt said she hopes that NOAA would do enough research to be able to assure those who had come to love KP2 that he would be safe.
But NOAA officials say they have believe KP2 has already survived shark in his travels around Molokai and Lanai. They say he displays enough “wild” behaviors, like foraging on his own, that show he may still have a chance to live a normal seal’s life if relocated away from people while he is still young. NOAA officials say Niihau has the largest breeding population of Hawaiian monk seals in the Main Hawaiian Islands. […]
NOAA has not given definite plans for KP2, but as of two weeks ago, relocating him to the Niihau area as well as placing him into captivity at Sea Life Park were still in discussion.
Kaunakakai Wharf, Molokai, Hawaii
An orphaned new-born Monachus monachus was found stranded late in the afternoon of Wednesday 14th of October, at the beach of Assos in Kefalonia island, by local residents. MOm’s Rescue team travelled immediately to the area and examined the 10 day female pup that was still alone at the beach, lost from its mother following the severe storms of the last few days. The animal was found dehydrated and had visible injuries on its body, probably form the wave action on the rocky coast. 
The treatment and rehabilitation program of a Mediterranean monk seal pup lasts approximately 5 months and if it is completed successfully the animal is released healthy back to its natural environment. The complete rescue, treatment and rehabilitation procedures all follow strict international protocols. The whole process is long and demanding for both Nefeli and the people involved, with several tests, continuous treatment, around the clock feedings and hard physical work. But MOm’s specialized personnel, the various expert collaborators and especially the volunteers assisting, are all optimistic and determined to make their best to see Nefeli healthy.
Since the animal arrived at Kaunakakai Wharf in February, several children from the island have made a habit of swimming with him. Area paddlers and boogie boarders have shared laughs watching him climb into or onto their boats and boards. One resident was so comfortable with KP2 that he put his golden retriever in the water with the seal and documented it in a YouTube video. […]
