Popular Kaimana Beach monk seal pup moved to quieter Oahu shoreline

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A popular Hawaiian monk seal pup from busy Kaimana Beach has been relocated to a quieter shoreline on Oahu.

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NOAA Fisheries gave the update on Tuesday that the nearly 6-week-old Hawaiian monk seal pup PO11 is getting acquainted with a new beach.

RH58 (Rocky), the pups mother, weaned the pup on Monday, leaving the pup alone as a now independent seal. Experts with NOAA Fisheries and response partner Hawa’i Marine Animal Response (HMAR) collected and released the pup on a more remote, undisclosed Oahu shoreline, to give the young female a stronger chance at growing up wild and healthy.

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Experts also gave the pup standard ID tags before release. PO11’s new permanent ID number is now RV58, which is printed on her flipper tags. The “58” mirrors her mother’s tag (RH58), making her lineage instantly recognizable at a glance. HMAR will be working with community youth to gift the pup a name.

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