Malama Hawaiian Monk Seal Killer Bounty at $5000 —NOAA

Investigations revealed that the Hawaiian monk seal that perished had been purposely slain, which led NOAA to offer a $5000 reward for information leading to the capture of Malama's killer.

$5000 Bounty for Information on Killer

The death of an extremely endangered Hawaiian monk seal on Oahu a few months ago is now thought to have been a premeditated killing, according to federal wildlife authorities.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement for information that results in the successful prosecution of individuals involved.

Malama, the Hawaiian Monk Seal

On March 12, a local reported that Hawaiian monk seal RQ76, also known as Malama, had passed away near the beach of Ohikilolo on West Oahu.

Following a post-mortem examination, NOAA determined that blunt impact trauma was the cause of Malama's demise, according to reports from Sacramento Bee.

Data points to the conclusion that Malama's death was a deliberate homicide, according to NOAA, which cited contact with international authorities in marine mammal radiography and forensics as well as examinations by other specialists.

After weaning, the female seal was first saved as a starving pup.

She was sent to Kailua-Kona's Ke Kai Ola, an infirmary for monk seals run by The Marine Mammal Center, so she could reach a healthy weight. She was rehabilitated for several months before being returned to the wild in the first month of this year.

Hateful Act

Prior to this unfortunate event, volunteers from Hawaii Marine Animal Response, a nonprofit partner of NOAA, claimed to have seen her in good health.

According to NOAA, Malama's passing affects the organization and the community particularly deeply, especially in light of all the assistance, attention, and monitoring that the NOAA team, The Center, HMAR, US Coast Guard, and locals of Oahu offered to her.

NOAA's Deputy Special Agent Frank Giaretto issued a call for assistance to anybody who may have witnessed or heard anything regarding the death of this endangered species. Giaretto continued, saying that murdering Malama would not only be against the law on the federal level but would also be a hateful act against all residents of Hawaii.

Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal

Hawaiian monk seals, one of the world's most endangered seal species with just 1,500 living in the wild, are protected by both state and federal regulations, Star Advertiser reports.

One of the world's most endangered seal species is the Hawaiian monk seal. While current numbers are rising, they are still only approximately one-third of historic population levels after six decades of general population decline. The present rising trend is, however, in part because of NOAA Fisheries recovery efforts, which is significant.

After the late 1950s and continuing until quite recently, the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands monk seal population saw a protracted decrease. The overall number of seals in the said area dropped throughout that time, despite certain subpopulations seeing growth or decline. Although the species' full recovery is still far off due to this loss, there have been a few recent, optimistic improvements, as per NOAA data.