Monk seals flock to the secluded shores of Ni’ihau, but as we saw on our recent visit to that island, outside elements can still have an impact.
The monk seals have thrived on Ni’ihau perhaps better than official conservation zones. Offshore, those with ill intentions, however, sometimes interfere.
This is the life. Monk seals play in the serenity of a Ni’ihau shoreline.
“Because it's a privately controlled island you do not have the encroachment on say seal habitat that you would in the other islands,” says Bruce Robinson.
Island co-owner and noted conservationist Keith Robinson writes privately managed shoreline "seems to be providing better conditions for monk seals than the government refuges in the Northwestern Hawaiian islands."
“It is the oldest mammal on the planet. it swam with the dinosaurs,” says Bruce Robinson, Conservationist.
"It has the genetic ability to stay, and that could someday be valuable,” says Bruce Robinson.
Yet its value is sometimes lost on outsiders -- the owners say from time to time they see seals who have been hurt or killed, in the past by a tour boat propeller, other times shot they say by outside fishermen. The day we visit, Bruce Robinson suspects it may have happened again.
“Unfortunately some individuals in boats come around here and shoot the seals and what it appears is the one we saw in the beach had a pistol shot in it,” says Bruce Robinson.
He reported the incident to the State Department of Land and Natural Resources. They are reviewing our footage to determine the nature of the injury. DLNR says a puncture from a mating bite is a possibility.
The owners say other outside elements have affected the island over the years. They suspected a recent rat poison drop at Lehua Island caused a fish kill. The DLNR says there isn't a link, the Robinsons cite other tests.
"There appears to be some information that others have sampled that they did find residue at a very low level, which makes you wonder. It doesn't necessarily mean the smoking gun,” says Bruce Robinson.
"It's kind of strange that this is the first time this has happened in a century,” says Bruce Robinson.
Join us for a half hour special, Ni’ihau: Past Present and Future. June 25th at 9 p.m.
