Video footage captured by a bystander shows a man picking up a large rock and throwing it in the direction of a Hawaiian monk seal swimming close to the shore
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NEED TO KNOW
- An investigation is underway in Hawaii after a man was caught on video throwing a rock at a critically endangered monk seal
- “He threw it, directly aiming towards the monk seal’s head,” a witness of the incident recounted
- The monk seal species is critically endangered, with only about 1,600 remaining, and is protected by federal and state laws
An investigation is underway in Hawaii after a man was caught on video throwing a rock at an endangered monk seal.
HawaiiNewsNow reported that the incident took place on the morning of Tuesday, May 5, on Front Street in Lahaina, Maui. Video footage captured by a bystander shows a man picking up a large rock and throwing it toward a seal swimming near the shore.
"What are you doing?" the person filming yelled out in the clip.
Speaking with the outlet, Maui resident Kaylee Schnitzer, 18, shared that she and another bystander witnessed the man — identified by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) only as a 37-year-old adult male from Seattle, Wash. — throwing "a rock the size of a coconut."
"He threw it, directly aiming towards the monk seal's head," she said, sharing that the seal then swam toward some nearby rocks.
Credit: Andre Seale/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty
Schnitzer also told KHON2 that, once they confronted the man, he allegedly said, "I don't care, I'm rich."
"I turned around, and I was like, 'You can't do that,'" she recounted to the outlet. "That's when he told me, '… I'm rich. Fine me with whatever you want. I can pay for it."
The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) confirmed on Wednesday, May 6, that the Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and the Maui Police Department were alerted to the incident and had opened an investigation.
"When the [DOCARE] officer arrived at the scene, the officer contacted a 37-year-old adult male from Seattle, Washington, who matched the description of the suspect," the agency said. "The male was detained, identified, and advised of his legal rights. The male declined to make a statement and invoked his legal rights by requesting counsel of an attorney."
"At this time, the alleged suspect has not been criminally charged, so DOCARE will not be releasing any information on his identity," DLNR continued, adding that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement (NOAA-OLE) will take over the investigation.
"With respect to monk seals, because they're marine mammals for which the Marine Mammal Protection Act applies to, we have to allow the federal government to undergo their process," DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla said during a media briefing, per KITV.
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According to NOAA, the monk seal — native only to Hawaii — is one of the most endangered seal species in the world, with an estimated population of only 1,600 seals, including nearly 1,200 seals in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and 400 seals in the main Hawaiian Islands.
The species is protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Hawaii state law, making it illegal to disturb, harass, feed, or otherwise harm a monk seal, according to the DLNR.
"From past monk-seal-related incidents, we know that some of the NOAA fines have been substantial, totaling several thousand dollars," added Chief Redulla in the press release. "To keep people and pets safe, and to protect our endangered marine life, we ask the public's help by showing respect for these animals and following all guidelines for safe viewing."
This week's incident comes amid a similar report from O'ahu, where the DLNR said there have been reports of members of the public breaching the temporary fence marking the resting area for Kaiwi (RK96), a 15-year-old female monk seal, and her pup, born on May 3.
"This is a very crucial time in the life of this pup, so for these people to be breaching the area and getting close is not a good idea at all," Redulla said in a press release.
"If the mother seal perceives any human or pet to be a threat, she may attack," the chief added. "This is what happened during a 2022 encounter between a swimmer and a mother seal at Kaimana Beach. The swimmer suffered lacerations to her face, back, and arm."
Critics have since spoken out against the man accused of throwing the rock, as well as other visitors who disrespect Hawaiian wildlife.
"People should be respecting our culture if you're coming here, and respecting the land," Schnitzer told KHON2. "And that includes the animals on the land. It doesn't matter if it's a bird, it doesn't matter if it's a fish in the ocean."
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