Not So Shy After All: Meeting A Monk Seal

We didn't plan much for our first day on Kauai. We knew we'd be busy just getting ourselves to the island, meeting with the rental property owners and moving in.

Fortunately we didn't have to go far to find excitement. Right outside the front door of our beach house, on a small sandy beach under some coconut trees, we saw a female monk seal resting.


Since there are only 35 monk seals on Kauai, we felt extremely lucky to meet one. They are protected by both state and federal law, so the area around her was roped off, to give her space to rest. AND to protect her from any human contact. Two recent seal killings this spring have made authorites extra vigilant and eager to educate the public about the fragile status of Hawaii's indigenous seal population.

We spoke quietly with Mary, the local Kauai Monk Seal Watch Program volunteer, who donated her entire afternoon just to watch over this seal and chat with area residents and curious passersby, as the seal dreamed the day away.


I swear she smiled as she slept: