If you’re walking a Hawaiian beach this summer and see what looks like a large grey rock with whiskers, do not walk up to it. Don’t let the kids walk up either, and keep the dog well away. That rock is probably a nursing mother Hawaiian monk seal, and the small grey shape curled against her is a pup of one of the most endangered marine mammals on earth. (NOAA Fisheries — Hawaiian Monk Seal)
Peak pupping season for Hawaiian monk seals runs from March through August, and NOAA Fisheries and Hawaiʻi DLNR are out again this month reminding beach-goers what the rules are. The 2026 reminder matters because the eight main Hawaiian Islands are seeing steady pup numbers. Hawaiʻi DLNR reports several new pups already across the main islands this spring, with more expected through August. Most close-encounter incidents come from well-meaning visitors who had no idea they were doing something wrong. (Big Island Video News — Peak Monk Seal Pupping Season Underway in Hawaiʻi, April 18, 2026)
