Po'ipu park's seals worry biologists
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Science Writer
PO'IPU, Kaua'i — Endangered Hawaiian monk seals appear to like Po'ipu Beach Park as much as people do. Last week there were five seals at the tiny beach along with dozens of tourists and residents.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The park is the state's hot spot for seals, said Brad Ryon, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Hawaiian monk seals hanging out at Po'ipu, Kaua'i, are of an endangered species, though they seem oblivious of that. Barriers on the sand help to protect them.
"Certainly Po'ipu is unique in that it's so active with seals. Since the beginning of December there have been one to three seals daily on the beach there. There is nowhere in the Hawaiian Islands that is as active as that," Ryon said.
The situation alarms federal biologists, who fear that if seals get too comfortable around humans, it could be dangerous to both. There are reports of seals being cut by boat propellers when they swim too close to vessels, and they are known to occasionally bite people who get too close.
"I've seen them lift up from sleeping and just snap," said Kaleo Hookano, the county's lifeguard program supervisor.
The lifeguards at Po'ipu Beach Park have been erecting barriers and warning away beachgoers when the seals are lying on the sand, but there is little they can do when the animals decide to join swimmers in the water.
"There's been a lot of nuzzling and stuff. They were swimming between people's legs and playing," said Kaua'i Fire Department Battalion Chief Dave Walker.
The most active of the monk seals at Po'ipu last week were three pups, each 3 to 5 years of age. Several seals have given birth at the beach and nearby shorelines in recent years, but none of the pups at Po'ipu these days is among those born there. Ryon said a male and a female had no tags and their birthplaces are not known. The third was tagged and identified as a male that was born in May 2000 on the east side of Kaua'i at Larsen's Beach.
Ryon and a team of volunteers tagged the untagged animals and put radio transmitters on the three youngsters to learn more about their behavior. Two older seals that were not interacting with humans were left undisturbed, he said.
Researchers don't know what it is about the beach that attracts seals, but there have been plenty of them around recently, and it appears to be part of a broader increase in seal numbers and appearances on island beaches.
"It was unusual to have five animals at that specific location, but it's normal at Po'ipu to get one to three regularly," Ryon said.
The Po'ipu pups were frequently playing with each other, swimming in unison, nipping and twisting around and around one another. They occasionally swam with people, primarily snorkelers, Ryon said.
Hookano said seals are becoming a kind of nuisance for beachgoers, since they often lie down to rest at the same sandy beaches that humans prefer.
"They're showing up at different beaches and coastlines. Sometimes it's two or three, not just one. The problem is that if they keep coming back and you close down the beach, it's a problem for people," he said.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
