The 4-day old monk seal abandoned by his mother on Kaua'i is in critical-but-stable condition, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said this morning.

The seal, which is in quarantine at NOAA's Kewalo facility, is considered a neonate and is susceptible to disease, said Dr. Charles Littnan, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.

The seal weighs 32 1/2 pounds, a weight it has maintained for two days, Littnan said. The newborn was rescued on Friday from the North Eastern portion of Kaua'i at an uninhabited beach where it was found suckling a rock, said David Schofield, NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands regional office.

"The seal was vocalizing and calling to its mom and trying to nurse a rock," Schofield said. "We attempted to rescue it, but then the mom showed up."

The monk seal pup is being cared for by a team of fisheries experts including the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program. Monk seals are on the endangered species list.

Anyone who spots a monk seal or sees one in distress is urged to call a NOAA hot line 888-256-9840.