Photo courtesy of NMFS/NOAA
Photo courtesy of NMFS/NOAA
To take action for the Hawaiian
monk seal is the right thing to do
– for this culturally iconic species,
for the environment and for future
generations.
How you can help Save the Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal
The Marine Mammal Center and the Hawaii Wildlife Fund,
collaborative organizations with the National Marine Fisheries In 1976, the Hawaiian monk seal was listed as an endangered species...
Service of NOAA for the Hawaiian monk seal recovery effort,
are accepting private tax-deductible donations toward this
Photo courtesy of NMFS/NOAA
project. To make donations, please visit: Today, this species has the unfortunate status
as the most endangered seal in the United States.
1 The Hawaii Wildlife Fund’s website – WildHawaii.org
.
Its population has declined at a rate of 4% per year for the
or send a check payable to “Hawaii Wildlife Fund – last decade, and now there are fewer than 1,100 Hawaiian
Hawaiian Monk Seal Healthcare Facility” to:
monk seals left in existence – dismal news for a species
that has existed for more than 13 million years and is found
Hawaii Wildlife Fund
only in Hawaii.
P.O. Box 70
Volcano, HI 96785 Threats facing Hawaiian monk seals are many and
Phone (808) 575-2046 include shark predation, food shortages, marine debris and
other negative human impacts, such as gun shots, fishing
hook ingestion, and harassment. A newborn monk seal has
only a 1-in-5 chance of surviving to adulthood. While recent
legislation in Hawaii makes it a felony to harm a Hawaiian
2 The Marine Mammal Center’s website – monk seal, there is still much work to be done.
MarineMammalCenter.org
or send a check payable to “The Marine Mammal Center – For the last decade, The Marine Mammal Center in
Hawaiian Monk Seal Healthcare Facility” to: California has worked closely with government agencies
and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii, including the Pacific
The Marine Mammal Center Islands Fisheries Science Center, the Pacific Islands Re-
2000 Bunker Road gional Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service and
Fort Cronkhite the Hawaii Wildlife Fund, to provide medical assistance to
Sausalito, CA 94965 monk seals, often flying out veterinary teams and trained
Phone (415) 289-7335 volunteers to provide hands-on medical care in make-shift
facilities, because every seal matters.
Printed on 100% recycled, 50% post-consumer paper, processed chlorine-free.
Over......
 Currently there is no dedicated facil-
ity in Hawaii to care for sick, injured and
orphaned Hawaiian monk seals.
The Marine Mammal Center and the
Hawaii Wildlife Fund have joined forces to
raise $2 million to build a Hawaiian monk
seal healthcare facility in Kona, on the Big
Island. This hospital is urgently needed and
will provide an easily accessible, dedicated
site for emergency medical care and the
rearing of newborn pups (once pups reach
the age of 3, their survival rate increases to
70%). Together, we can make a difference.
The Hawaii Wildlife Fund is a non-profit
organization dedicated to the preservation
of Hawaii’s native wildlife through research,
education and conservation. The Fund’s
The population of Hawaiian
monk seals is projected to fall
below 1,000 animals by 2014.
— International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
teams are educators, conservationists,
researchers, naturalists, communities, volun-
teers and donors devoted to the preserva-
tion of Hawaii’s fragile marine ecosystem
and inhabitants.
The Marine Mammal Center knows the
value and necessity of a hospital dedi-
cated to the medical care of sick, injured
and starving marine mammals; in 2009 it
opened a new hospital in California that al-
lowed it to care for more than 1,700 animals
that same year (that’s more than the total
number of monk seals alive today). Although
The Marine Mammal Center is responsible
for rescuing marine mammals along 600
miles of California coastline, it has always
been willing to help provide care for marine
mammal species around the world.
This is an incredible time of hope and
possibility. But there’s no time to waste:
more monk seals are dying each year than
are being born.
Above: KP2, a young Hawaiian monk seal rehabilitated then
released back to the wild.
Photo courtesy of NOAA. NMFS permit #932-1489-09
Below: Rare Hawaiian monk seal twins receiving medical care
before release.
Photo courtesy Ingrid Overgard, The Marine Mammal Center. NMFS permit #932-1489-09
Q&A
Q: Why are you building the urgent care facility on the Big Island,
when monk seals mainly show up on islands such as Kauai and
Oahu?
A: The simple answer is location, location, location. The proposed hospital site, at the Natural Energy Labora-
tory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), is 10 minutes from the Kona Airport which makes transportation easy and
efficient. In addition, the site already has the necessary infrastructure and permits in place to allow quick
construction.
Q: Are monk seals found in other parts of the world, other than
Hawaii?
A: The Hawaiian monk seal is only found in Hawaii. The Caribbean monk seal, which was native to the
Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, was declared extinct in 2008. The Mediterranean monk seal is currently
one of the most endangered mammals in the world; fewer than 500 are alive today.
Q: Aren’t monk seals doing well in the Main Hawaiian Islands?
A: Of the 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals alive today, 100 are in the Main Hawaiian Islands, and 1,000 are in
the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. For reasons such as shark predation, food shortages and marine debris, the
Northwest Hawaiian Island seals are faring less well than their counterparts on the Main Islands. However,
the seals on the Main Islands are increasingly victims of trash ingestion or entanglement and other negative
human impacts. In 2010, a bill was signed into law in Hawaii that makes it a felony to harm a Hawaiian monk
seal, and imposes fines up to $50,000. This new law is a great sign of the commitment Hawaii is making
toward the protection of the monk seal.
Q: Why is The Marine Mammal Center in California qualified to help
the Hawaiian monk seal in Hawaii?
A: Because it works with a large number of marine mammal species, the Center has been able to apply its
broad medical knowledge and resources toward the conservation of the Hawaiian monk seal. Founded in
1975, The Marine Mammal Center has cared for more than 16,000 animals. The Center has made significant
contributions to marine mammal medicine, protocols and science worldwide. In addition to the Hawaiian
monk seal, the Center has applied its knowledge to the recovery efforts of other endangered and threatened
species around the world, including Steller sea lions, Guadalupe fur seals, Southern sea otters, Northern fur
seals, Hooker sea lions in the Auckland Islands, and Mediterranean monk seals.
Dr. Frances Gulland, the Center’s Director of Veterinary Science, has been actively involved in recovery efforts
and scientific research projects for the Hawaiian monk seal for the last ten years and has been a member of the
Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team since 2001. Dr. Gulland is one of the world’s leading veterinary experts in
marine mammal pathology and surgery and serves on the Committee of Scientific Advisors to the US Marine
Mammal Commission. Dr. Gulland is supported by a robust team of clinical veterinarians, technicians and
volunteers at the Center with significant experience in the care of injured, ill and orphaned marine mammals.
Q: What expertise does the Hawaii Wildlife Fund bring to this
collaborative effort?
A: The Hawaii Wildlife Fund was cofounded by Bill Gilmartin and Hannah Bernard, former National Marine
Fisheries Service scientists, in 1996. The critically endangered status of the Hawaiian monk seal initially drew
the two together to support its recovery. Gilmartin’s work with monk seals as the leader of the NMFS Protected
Species Investigation Program in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands was featured in the January 1992 issue
of National Geographic. Dr. Gilmartin has been a leader in efforts to save the Hawaiian monk seal for the last
30 years; he initiated and managed the monk seal recovery program from 1980 to 1996, has been a member
of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Team since 1980, and conducted monk seal captive care programs from
1981 to 1995.
Photo courtesy of NMFS/NOAA
To take action for the Hawaiian
monk seal is the right thing to do
– for this culturally iconic species,
for the environment and for future
generations.
Photo courtesy of NMFS/NOAA
How you can help Save the Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal
The Marine Mammal Center and the Hawaii Wildlife Fund,
collaborative organizations with the National Marine Fisheries In 1976, the Hawaiian monk seal was listed as an endangered species...
Service of NOAA for the Hawaiian monk seal recovery effort,
are accepting private tax-deductible donations toward this
Photo courtesy of NMFS/NOAA
project. To make donations, please visit: Today, this species has the unfortunate status
as the most endangered seal in the United States.
1 The Hawaii Wildlife Fund’s website – WildHawaii.org
.
Its population has declined at a rate of 4% per year for the
or send a check payable to “Hawaii Wildlife Fund – last decade, and now there are fewer than 1,100 Hawaiian
Hawaiian Monk Seal Healthcare Facility” to:
monk seals left in existence – dismal news for a species
that has existed for more than 13 million years and is found
Hawaii Wildlife Fund
only in Hawaii.
P.O. Box 70
Volcano, HI 96785 Threats facing Hawaiian monk seals are many and
Phone (808) 575-2046 include shark predation, food shortages, marine debris and
other negative human impacts, such as gun shots, fishing
hook ingestion, and harassment. A newborn monk seal has
only a 1-in-5 chance of surviving to adulthood. While recent
legislation in Hawaii makes it a felony to harm a Hawaiian
2 The Marine Mammal Center’s website – monk seal, there is still much work to be done.
MarineMammalCenter.org
or send a check payable to “The Marine Mammal Center – For the last decade, The Marine Mammal Center in
Hawaiian Monk Seal Healthcare Facility” to: California has worked closely with government agencies
and nonprofit organizations in Hawaii, including the Pacific
The Marine Mammal Center Islands Fisheries Science Center, the Pacific Islands Re-
2000 Bunker Road gional Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service and
Fort Cronkhite the Hawaii Wildlife Fund, to provide medical assistance to
Sausalito, CA 94965 monk seals, often flying out veterinary teams and trained
Phone (415) 289-7335 volunteers to provide hands-on medical care in make-shift
facilities, because every seal matters.
Printed on 100% recycled, 50% post-consumer paper, processed chlorine-free.
Over......