The slaying of two Hawaiian monk seals in 2009--the most recent occurring off Molokai on Dec. 14--has inspired an anonymous donor to pledge $10,000 to the Surfrider Foundation, as reward money, hoping it will result in information that will lead to the indictment of the culprit or culprits.
That's in addition to $5,000 offered last month by the NOAA's Office of Law and Enforcement. Kauai's Surfrider Foundation chapter, also, has set up a reward fund link on its website for anyone wishing to donate.
"There are people out there who are still really mad that somebody's doing this and they're willing to give big money to resolve this," Kauai Surfrider's Carl Berg told the Honolulu Advertiser. "We really want to find out what's going on and we really want people to understand these are nature's creatures."Hawaiian monk seals, which were once slaughtered to near extinction, have recently mounted a very slow comeback. About 1,100 monk seals are dispersed throughout the entire Hawaiian archipelago, most of them on remote, unpopulated islands northwest of the main islands.
Some fishermen are linking the increased presence of monk seals around the main islands, however, to a decline in the local fishery, which might explain a motive for the killings. But experts say only about 115 monk seals traverse the main islands and that other factors are responsible for the decline of the fishery.
For more information on endangered monk seals, please see the National Geographic page devoted to the species.
-- Pete ThomasPhoto of monk seal by Bill Curtsinger/National Geographic
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