Hawaiian Monk Seals: Critically Endangered

“Each and every animal on Earth has as much right to be here as you and me,” says Anthony Douglas Williams, author of Inside the Divine Pattern. This quote can be applied to our modern society today. We currently have about 16,306 endangered species in the world. One of these species of animals that should be recognized is the Hawaiian monk seal, a species native to Hawaii. These mammals are apex predators, and help to better our environment by preventing the overpopulation of certain marine animals. Why shouldn’t we return the favor by helping them?

Lifestyle of Hawaiian Monk Seals

What sets the Hawaiian monk seal apart from other species of seals is that they reside in warm waters, rather than in frigid areas such as Antarctica. This makes the tropical archipelago of Hawaii and ideal place for them. The diet of Hawaiian monk seals consists of different kinds of fish, squids, octopuses, eels, and crustaceans.

Causes of Endangerment

The decrease in the population of these mammals is mainly due to human activity in the coastal habitats of the Hawaiian monk seal. Humans can disrupt the natural cycle of these seals by catching the seals in nets as an “accidental bycatch.”

Imposed Threats on the Species

The threats the Hawaiian monk seal faces in its natural environment are the use of biological resources by fishermen, human activities such as tourism and even military exercises, foreign diseases and species, rapid changes in climate, intentional killing, scarcity of food, shark predation, habitat loss, aggression towards each other, and very commonly, entanglement in marine debris and fishing gear.

Conservation Actions

Currently, there are conservation actions being taken to ensure that the population of Hawaiian monk seals will not decrease until total extinction. Conservationists are working to clean up coastal areas in which the seals live in, as well as to hinder human activity on beaches. They are also making efforts to educate the public on the importance of Hawaiian monk seals and rehabilitate sick and injured seals.

Although all these measures are being taken to protect Hawaiian monk seals, even greater efforts must be made because little by little, their populations are decreasing. Today, there are only an estimated amount of 1,300 Hawaiian monk seals left on Earth.