The Sacramento Bee: Rare sea creature rescued in Hawaii, officials say. ‘Ready to reclaim his place’
Published in The Sacramento Bee: November 26, 2024
An endangered sea creature in Hawaii that was rescued and rehabilitated got a lift from the U.S. Coast Guard and now is back home. The young Hawaiian monk seal was “released back into his natural habitat on Kauai, ready to reclaim his place in the wild,” the U.S. Coast Guard Hawaii Pacific wrote in a Facebook post on Nov. 25. The Coast Guard helped transport the 2-year-old seal, known as R8HA, after a roughly four-month stay at The Marine Mammal Center’s seal monk hospital on the island of Hawaii.
…the seal required round-the-clock care from veterinary experts.
The seal was rescued in June after officials keeping tabs on him in the wild noticed that his health was quickly deteriorating, The Marine Mammal Center wrote in a news release.
He was “very emaciated and lethargic,” and during his initial care at a holding facility, he “suffered a hypoglycemic crash and required round the clock care from veterinary experts,” the center said.
The seal later was admitted to the hospital, and “he was in critical condition and was treated with IV fluids, medicine, and (was) tube fed a fish mash until he was strong enough to eat fish independently,” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries in the Pacific Islands wrote on its website. The seal was tested for various diseases, all of which came back negative, the agency said. “After more than doubling his weight, R8HA was ready for transport by the U.S. Coast Guard back to Kauaʻi for release,” NOAA Fisheries said. Hawaiian monk seals are native to Hawaii, and they’re among the most endangered seals in the world, NOAA Fisheries said. Only about 1,600 exist, it said.
Learn More About Hawaiian Monk Seals
Sign up to receive Hawaiian monk seal news, patient updates and more straight to your inbox.
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Hawaiian monk seal\/hawaiian-monk-seal-shutterstock.jpg","alt":"Hawaiian monk seal at the shoreline","label":"Pinnipeds","title":"Hawaiian Monk Seal","link_url":"\/animal-care\/learn-about-marine-mammals\/pinnipeds\/hawaiian-monk-seal","type":"page"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Hawaiian monk seal\/cropped-images\/HMS-wild-NOAA-4-832-3197-1474-1603733454.jpg","alt":"Two Hawaiian monk seals sleeping on the beach.","label":"Conservation","title":"Hawaiian Monk Seal Conservation","link_url":"\/science-conservation\/conservation\/hawaiian-monk-seal-conservation","type":"page"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Hawaiian monk seals\/2015\/hms-pearl-by-julie-steelman-c-the-marine-mammal-center-noaa-permit-18786.jpg","alt":"Hawaiian monk seal Pearl","title":"Understanding Endangered","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/understanding-endangered","label":"Online Learning Resource","type":"publication"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Hawaiian monk seals\/2016\/hms-nihoole-5-photo-c-noaa-permit-16632.jpg","alt":"Hawaiian monk seal Niho'ole","title":"Aloha \u02bb\u0100ina","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/publications\/aloha-aina","label":"Online Learning Resource","type":"publication"}
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\/Elephant seals\/cropped-images\/es-hoffman47927-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-124-0-1270-992-1748384535.jpg","alt":"An An elephant seal\u2019s face with long black whiskers and wide eyes emerges from the water. ","title":"Adaptations of the Deep: Seal Whiskers and Eyes","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/adaptations-of-the-deep-seal-whiskers-and-eyes","label":"Patient Update","date":"2025-05-28 02:00:00"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/two-seals-playing-shutterstock-250-0-3211-2510-1602631793.jpg","alt":"two seals playing on a beach","title":"Meaningful Father\u2019s Day Gifts for Ocean Lovers","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/eco-friendly-fathers-day-gifts-that-give-back","label":"News Update","date":"2025-05-09 12:37:57"}
{"image":"\/People\/Action\/Veterinary care\/cropped-images\/cara-field-hs-eye-exam-by-elena-graham-c-the-marine-mammal-center-117-0-1270-992-1746828532.jpg","alt":"Dr. Cara Field performs an exam on a harbor seal pup","title":"Marketplace: Diving below the surface with an aquatic veterinarian","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/marketplace-diving-below-the-surface-with-an-aquatic-veterinarian","label":"In the News","date":"2025-05-05 02:00:00"}
Marketplace: Diving below the surface with an aquatic veterinarian
May 5, 2025
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Elephant seals\/cropped-images\/es-duo-in-pool-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-80-0-1270-992-1746831113.jpg","alt":"two elephant seal pups in a pool","title":"But Why: What\u2019s a seal? What\u2019s a sea lion?","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/but-why-whats-a-seal-whats-a-sea-lion","label":"In the News","date":"2025-05-02 02:00:00"}
