Federal, state officials launch investigation after 6th monk seal found dead on Molokai

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Federal and state officials are investigating the death of another endangered Hawaiian monk seal on Molokai.

It is the sixth monk seal found dead on the island since the start of this year.

NOAA said this is an unprecedented number of deaths and a joint state and federal investigation has been launched.

Officials said a young female monk seal was found dead on the south shore of Molokai on Sunday. The seal was identified as “L11,″ which was one of the pups that was born on the island in 2020.

In April, NOAA reported that two monk seals had died as a result of human-inflicted trauma. These seals were found on the west side of Molokai.

Meanwhile, officials said a post-mortem exam will be conducted on Oahu to uncover the cause of L11′s death.

Anyone with information is urged to call the DOCARE hotline at (808) 643-DLNR, or submitted a tip via the DLNR’s app.

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