Coming Soon....Monk Seal Mondays

Starting next Monday---Mondays  at My Girlz Got Paws will focus on the Hawaiian Monk Seal!! So we'll be calling our Mondays---Monk Seal Mondays!!
A few of you have asked some questions that deserve some detailed answers and I plan to share that information with you. Please feel free to ask questions concerning monk seals. If I don't know the answer(s) I will get in contact with the professionals/experts that do and it will be posted on Monk Seal Mondays.
Today, I wanted to give you a taste of what's to come....On Tuesday's Blog Post titled "WHISKERS", the lovely Lily Belle and Muffin asked, "Could you perhaps tell us more about being a Responder and what that entails??"

My work shirt :)



Here goes....

Hawaiian Monk Seal Program here on Kauai consists of 60 volunteers who assist NOAA, PIRO (Pacific Islands Regional Office) and PIFSC (Pacific Island Fisheries Center) in many seal response issues. Here are a few of the situations that a responder may encounter.

 

Me, checking on 2 seals 

(when we lived on Molokai)

• a call is received from the public stating a seal has hauled out (hanging on the beach) Responder will go to assess the situation and health of the seal and report findings to NOAA/PIFSC
•  we may have to erect a SPZ (seal protection zone) if the seal has hauled out on a busy beach, this is for the protection of the public as well as the seal
• we may be asked to help monitor a Mom seal and her pup
• we may be asked to take photos and collect other important data for the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center.
• may be asked to help in seal relocation under NOAA and PIFSC supervision
• we may be asked to help in de-hooking or entanglement of a seal
• may be asked to help with a animal stranding or a necropsy
• provide public outreach and education
• may be asked to collect seal poo and spew!! That's a fun one :)
• **the above information was taken from the Hawaiian Monk Seal Volunteer Responder Manual

 Dead Humpback Whale

Molokai 2010

Science folks preforming necropsy on whale.

 Molokai 2010

 My pal Diane and me keeping watch over the infamous seal named KP2 (more on him later)

Kp2 is located just slightly above the yellow sign.

He had decided the wharf on Molokai was a great place to hang out, NOT!!

and yes we have heavy coats on, it was cold--for Hawaii!!

Hope this gives you an idea of what I may be doing as a responder. Okay, next question!!!
 Seal you on Mondays!!!

Aloha, Val