No, this isn’t a post about Hawaiian Airlines or Aloha Airlines. Rather, Aloha Pualani is about the departure of Ka’iwi’s latest pup and the reopening of the stretch of popular beach that the duo has been occupying.
As you’ll recall, on April 14, Ka’iwi hauled out onto Kaimana Beach and gave birth to her fifth pup – a female that would later become known as Pualani. While every one of these births is a blessing – especially in an area that’s accessible readily accessible to the public – it also causes headaches. For the duration of Pualani and Ka’iwi’s time on the beach, it has remained entirely closed, which was a direct response to the frightening incident that occurred with Rocky and Koalani. But all that is done now, as we say, aloha Pualani and wish her well on her next chapter in life.
Aloha Pualani!
Hawaiian Monk Seals typically nurse their pups for four to six weeks. Given that Pualani was born on April 14th and was weaned on Monday, May 30th, that means Pualani was nursed for slightly longer than six weeks. I’m a bit surprised by that. If I was Ka’iwi, I would’ve wanted to get out of there sooner since Pualani is a rambunctious little girl!
Anyhow, with Ka’iwi’s departure, officials with NOAA and Hawaii Marine Animal Response have captured and relocated Pualani to an undisclosed beach on Oahu. This is the same procedure as was undertaken with the three prior pups born on Kaimana Beach. The reason, of course, is to reduce the chances of humans imprinting on Pualani, which would be dangerous for the seal and humans alike.
The positive of this is that, as of Tuesday morning, Kaimana Beach has been completely reopened to the public. Of course, it also means that Pualani is ready to embark on the next stage of her life and, with any luck, will have her own pup in the future. Kaimana, the first pup born on Waikiki Beach in recent history, just had her first pup this year! She gave birth on an undisclosed beach on Oahu.
Final Thoughts
As we say aloha Pualani, it is m sincere hope that she successfully makes it to adulthood and becomes a mother herself. While we’ve had several positive stories about Hawaiian Monk Seals over the past several years, the species is still endangered. They remain exceedingly rare, with fewer than 1,500 individuals left in the wild, most of which reside in the remote Northwest Hawaiian Islands, and a challenging road to maturity. Beyond learning to forage and avoid natural predators, seals must avoid human-made hazards and compete with us for food.