
Hawaii News Now: This Special Hospital Has Very Special Patients: Hawaii’s Endangered Monk Seals
- Species conservation
This Special Hospital Has Very Special Patients: Hawaii’s Endangered Monk Seals
Published by Hawaii News Now: September 29, 2021
On the west side of the Big Island, a special hospital operates with one main goal ― take care of an endangered species.
“We are the only hospital permitted in all of the main Hawaiian islands to be able to care for monk seals,” said Sophie Whoriskey, the hospital’s conservation veterinarian.
The facility is called Ke Kai Ola. In Hawaiian it means “the healing sea.”
The Marine Mammal Center in California opened it in 2014 to take care of severely malnourished and sick or injured Hawaiian monk seals.
Header image by Elena Graham © The Marine Mammal Center / NOAA permit #18786
Yes, I want to save a life!

Yes, I want to save a life!
You’ll be giving sick and injured animals the best possible care at the Center’s state-of-the-art hospital. With your gift today, you are giving a patient a second chance at life in the wild.
See Our Latest News
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Sea otters\/2025\/cropped-images\/so-mooring-release-2-laurie-miller-c-the-marine-mammal-center-USFWS-permit-MA101713-1-80-0-1270-992-1757003194.jpg","alt":"A southern sea otter rests in the ocean after being released from rehabilitative care.","title":"Entangled in Ocean Trash, Sea Otter Mooring Gets a Second Chance at Life","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/entangled-in-ocean-trash-sea-otter-mooring-gets-a-second-chance-at-life","label":"Patient Update","date":"2025-09-05 02:00:00"}

Entangled in Ocean Trash, Sea Otter Mooring Gets a Second Chance at Life
September 5, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Harbor seals\/2025\/cropped-images\/denali-hs-photo-by-clive-beavis-c-the-marine-mammal-center-79-0-1270-992-1756314221.jpg","alt":"2026 marine mammal center calendar cover star","title":"Pacific Harbor Seal Denali Chosen as the 2026 Calendar Cover Star","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/vote-for-your-favorite-marine-mammal-to-be-the-2026-calendar-cover-star","label":"News Update","date":"2025-08-04 02:00:00"}

Pacific Harbor Seal Denali Chosen as the 2026 Calendar Cover Star
August 4, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/stranded-gray-whale-july-2025.jpg","alt":"stranded gray whale","title":"Scientists respond to dead gray whale in San Francisco Bay as species faces population recovery challenges","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/scientists-respond-to-dead-gray-whale-in-san-francisco-bay-as-species-faces-population-recovery-challenges","label":"Press Release","date":"2025-07-17 02:00:00"}

Scientists respond to dead gray whale in San Francisco Bay as species faces population recovery challenges
July 17, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Harbor seals\/cropped-images\/hs-group-with-hats-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-34-0-1270-992-1750873865.jpg","alt":"Four harbor seals with small ID tags on their heads swim in a rehabilitation pool.","title":"How Our Patients are Named and Identified","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/how-our-patients-are-named-and-identified","label":"Patient Update","date":"2025-06-26 02:00:00"}

Sophie Whoriskey
Hawaiian Monk Seal