Two monk seals had pups in midsummer, one at a beach in Maha'ulepu, the other at Po'ipu Beach Park. More than 100 visitors and residents volunteered and received training to oversee the birth sites and keep curious onlookers from the feisty mother seals.

"We had amazing cooperation from the volunteers, businesses, the mayor's office, lifeguards, the state, NOAA sanctuary folks and the whole community," Ryon said.

Many residents and visitors were kept off the popular strand at Po'ipu Beach because of the seals, but a volunteer-based education program helped explain why the animals were there and people were being kept away from them.

"Most people were very understanding," Ryon said.

The Maha'ulepu seal was weaned first, then moved in the second week of September.

The Po'ipu mother began spending longer periods away from her pup into last weekend, said Jean Souza of the Kaua'i office of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

She said the pup began swimming considerable distances alone, and it became clear that the mother would be unlikely to find her pup if she did return — indicating weaning had taken place.

Souza said crews rolled the pup into a net Sunday afternoon and loaded it on a pickup truck. She said the seal fell asleep during its transit to a remote beach, where it was released onto the beach in the evening and immediately crawled to the water and swam away.

Ryon said he checked the site Monday and found both the Maha'ulepu and Po'ipu pups sleeping on the sand about 50 feet apart.

Of three young seals released at the site earlier — two in 2000 and one in 2001 — two are still found around Kaua'i, and one has moved to the east side of O'ahu, he said.