LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Federal officers are investigating the deliberate killings of two endangered Hawaiian monk seals on Kaua'i, and recently scoured a white pickup truck in search of a rifle believed to have been used to kill the monk seal known as RK06.

The officers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's law enforcement branch didn't find a weapon in the June 9 search, documents in federal court in Honolulu indicate. But NOAA confirmed for the first time yesterday that RK06 was shot to death.

Two monk seal deaths at human hands coming just a month apart in the main Hawaiian Islands is unheard of.

The last known case of someone intentionally killing a Hawaiian monk seal was in the 1980s in Kapa'a, Kaua'i, according to Bill Pickering, special agent in charge of NOAA's Pacific islands law enforcement office.

Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered, with a dwindling population of just over 1,000 in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, their main home. Paradoxically, even as the overall population has reached dangerous lows, seals in the main Hawaiian Islands have increased in recent years.

Because the Hawaiian monk seal is a federally listed endangered species, a conviction of harming one could result in fines of up to $50,000 and/or a year in jail.

"This is the second most endangered species of seal in the world," said NOAA marine mammal specialist David Schofield. "We can't afford to lose individual seals to senseless killings."

MAMA SEAL SHOT

RK06, probably in her mid-teens, was found dead at Pila'a Beach on Kaua'i's north shore on May 21. She had given birth to five pups in the past and was pregnant with her sixth. She was an important breeding female and her death was a huge loss for the monk seal population, NOAA said.

People in the area of Pila'a Beach that day had told The Advertiser and federal investigators they believe the seal was shot. A necropsy of the seal confirmed that shooting caused its death, Pickering said yesterday.

Pickering and his team are also investigating the death of a 5-year-old male Hawaiian monk seal, RK19, found dead April 20 on Kaua'i's west side at Kaumakani. The seal had been seen alive and healthy just one day before, during a semi-annual monk seal count.

Pickering would not confirm whether RK19 died of a gunshot wound, but did say its death is considered due to "foul play."

"Whenever a marine mammal is found dead, we investigate and determine if it was an accident or natural causes, or work the case until can determine what happened," Pickering said.

NOAA investigators use the same techniques as police on a criminal case, including a necropsy to determine cause of death, and interviewing witnesses.

"A lot of it's plain old gumshoe-type police work," Pickering said.

Both the Kaua'i seal deaths occurred in relatively remote areas, but some witnesses have emerged, he said.

The Pila'a Beach witnesses said they saw a man with a white pickup at the beach and heard loud sounds like gunfire shortly before they found the seal dead in the surf. They didn't see a gun, they told The Advertiser.

In addition to the two seals on Kaua'i, NOAA's only other active investigation of harm to a marine animal in Hawai'i is the slaughter of a turtle known as Honeygirl on O'ahu last year, Pickering said.

MOURNING CEREMONY

Monk seal fans will gather at Po'ipu Beach Park today in memory of the slaughtered seals. The 9:30 a.m. ceremony, to be officiated at by Hawaiian cultural practitioner Sabra Kauka, will include releasing their ashes.

Jeff Walters, a marine mammal specialist with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, helped arrange today's simple memorial in cooperation with NOAA Fisheries and Monk Seal Hotline volunteer coordinator Mimi Olry.

Walters called the killings "senseless deaths" and said the gathering is "a chance to bring the community together and highlight the good work we do together."

Olry said: "I'm a vet who's cared for wildlife — that's been my career and passion. ... It upsets me to think people are not thinking of sharing the world with others not like themselves — and not being understanding of why we have these other species, the importance of these species to the whole web of life."