This past weekend, a woman swimming at a Waikiki beach was hurt after running into an endangered Hawaiian monk seal family with a small pup.
The mother seal and her pup are captured on camera swimming beside the swimmer.
The swimmer is then contacted by the seal, who drags her underwater.
Markus Faigle, who recorded the incident on film, told the station that “it’s a mama seal that’s guarding its pup, and there just so happens to be a human that is at the wrong location at the wrong time.”
So, it’s not a seal attacking a human, in my opinion; that’s the wrong way to look at it.
Before the event, Faigle told the station that the mother monk seal had lost her pup at the natatorium around the corner and had begun to bark.
She was searching for the pup, then discovered it, and returned to the area of the beach where she usually is, on the Diamond Head side of the beach, Faigle said.
“I can’t mimic it, but it literally freezes your spirit,” he added.
The mother monk seal known as Rocky came into touch with a swimmer on Sunday morning, according to Hawaii Marine Animal Response, a nonprofit organisation that helps monitor protected species.
The victim is a California-born elementary school teacher, 60, according to a statement from the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
According to the agency, the woman suffered injuries to her face, arm, and back.
The woman sought anonymity, so state officials said they would not propose bringing charges against or fining her.
The woman was “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” they claimed.
According to the woman’s husband, when the seals arrived, she could not hear people shouting at swimmers to leave the area.
Since her head was submerged, Department of Land and Natural Resources officials were informed, according to Hawaii News Now.
“By the time I arrive at the shore, I believe she will pass away.
When I arrived, three rescuers, one of whom was in an outrigger canoe, were carrying the woman to shore as the seals were swimming back toward them “explained her husband.
The seal gave birth to a pup on Kaimana Beach in Waikiki, close to where the swimmer was hurt, according to a statement from the Hawaii Marine Animal Response.
In addition to advising people to avoid the couple, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Hawaii Marine Animal Response have been keeping an eye on them.
Monk seals cannot be touched, bothered, hurt, or killed without breaking the law.
Although it is not required, it is advised that people keep at least 150 feet (46 metres) away from a mother seal and her pup.
The group claimed in a Facebook post on Tuesday that moms of monk seal pups “may become protective of their offspring, can be aggressive, and can inflict significant injuries.”
Beachgoers are cautioned about the risks of approaching a nursing mother seal too closely as the area around the seals’ home is cordoned off.
According to the organization’s statement, “We ask individuals to kindly follow the directions and instructions offered by HMAR, NOAA, Ocean Safety, or other authorised parties on the beach.” They claimed that EMS was used to transport the swimmer.
The Honolulu Emergency Services Department did not immediately respond to a message left with them.
The incident is still being looked at by NOAA Fisheries.
However, in a statement sent by email to The Associated Press, the organisation urged people to “consider using alternate places for water activities while moms with pups are in the area” because “mother seals can move quite quickly in the water.”
They urged people to heed warnings and instructions from authorities as these seals are expected to stay in the area for nearly a month.
Disturbing monk seals, of whom fewer than 1,600 are still found in the wild, is a crime.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act both categorise the creatures as depleted and endangered, respectively.