dailyloe.com – A man was detained after allegedly throwing a rock at a monk seal off the Maui shoreline, Hawaii. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources reported that its Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement was alerted by Maui police about the incident.
Officers located and detained a 37-year-old man from Seattle, Washington, who matched the description given. Currently, no criminal charges have been filed against him.
Local news outlets indicated that the monk seal swam to a nearby group of rocks following the incident. Hawaiian monk seals are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
It is illegal to disturb, harass, feed, or harm a monk seal, and violations can lead to fines or criminal penalties. The Hawaiian monk seal is among the world’s most endangered marine mammals, with an estimated population of only 1,400 to 1,600 remaining.
