When members of the Maui community noticed that a one-year-old male Hawaiian monk seal was losing significant weight and becoming lethargic, they raised the alarm.

“The community called through the hotline and let us know that his physical conditioning wasn’t looking too good and it was really a matter of four weeks when we saw him lose quite a bit of weight,” said Frankie Koethe, the monk Hawaiian. seal recovery coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“You can see it in the shape of his body. Monks are usually supposed to be quite plump, and he actually looked a bit thin, and I could see his ribs and bones when he was breathing,” Koethe said.

She said the seal, known as RS52, had also become extremely lethargic. He was born last year on Lānaʻi.

NOAA works to protect critically endangered species. In the case of the RS52, that meant taking immediate action.

With the help of volunteers and partner agencies, staff located the seal.

“Hawaiian monk seals are already very vulnerable and at a young age like RS52, who is only one year old, they are even more vulnerable, and it was because of the community that we were able to get RS52 the care he needed and transfer him. at the Kona Marine Mammal Center’s Ke Kai Ola Monk Seal Hospital,” explained Koethe.

The seal was flown aboard a US Coast Guard helicopter to the facility on Hawaiʻi Island. There, the RS52 undergoes tests to determine the best care for its recovery.

Marine Mammal Center (NOAA Fishing Permit #24359)

“The end result will hopefully be a happy one where we release him and he can go back to being a wild seal doing his thing,” she said.

With fewer than 2,000 Hawaiian monk seals left in the state, Koethe said ensuring their health is critical.

“Each individual seal is so important to the recovery of the population. Only 1,600 left. And when we look at the recovery of the species, we look especially at our young seals, who can play a major role in the recovery and live long lives.”

That work is paying off.

“Since 2013, we’ve seen population growth of about 2 to 3 percent per year,” she said.

Koethe said that’s largely due to interventions like RS52 with the help of NOAA partner agencies like the Marine Mammal Center, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and community volunteers.

“About 30 percent of the population growth is due to the interventions we’ve done with NOAA Fisheries,” she said.

Monk seal sightings can be reported to the NOAA Marine Wildlife Hotline at (888) 256-9840.