NOAA identifies cause of death for Hawaiian monk seal found off Nanakuli

News admin June 26, 2026 0 Comments

NOAA identifies cause of death for Hawaiian monk seal found off Nanakuli

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries has confirmed the cause of death for a Hawaiian monk seal that was found dead in Nanakuli in May.

On Thursday, NOAA Fisheries confirmed that Kaale, RH32, died of toxoplasmosis after a recent necropsy.

Kaale’s last known sighting was on March 10 at one of his regular West Oahu locations, and he did not show signs of illness at the time, NOAA said.

A carcass was reported to NOAA’s marine response hotline off Nanakuli on May 6.

A video of city, state and federal teams removing the carcass from the shoreline was posted to Instagram by HHHnewz.

On May 19, NOAA confirmed the seal was RH32.

NOAA said toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can develop in warm-blooded animals, including humans, birds and seals. However, it only reproduces in a cat’s digestive system. T. gondii eggs contaminate water and soil, along with the plants that grow in them.

Hawaiian monk seals become infected when consuming contaminated water or prey. The disease can cause severe inflammation and dysfunction in vital organs throughout the body, including the brain, heart, liver and lungs, often going undetected until external symptoms are highly advanced, the administration said.

NOAA said toxoplasmosis is one of the biggest threats to Hawaiian monk seals, and has killed at least 15 seals within the last two decades.

The disease also threatens spinner dolphins and several native bird species, including the Hawaiian goose (nene) and Hawaiian crow (alala), NOAA said.

Learn more about Toxoplasma from NOAA here.

The public is asked to report all seal sightings — including healthy, injured, or deceased seals — to the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at (888) 256-9840.