When nature calls, one must respond… Under the watchful eyes of hundreds at Kaimana Beach and then under the care of officials who moved him to a remote beach elsewhere, Koalani became the latest monk seal pup of reliable Rocky to find his way into this not-always friendly world. Good for Koalani. Hopefully now that he’s had time to frolic and explore, he’ll make his mom proud as he ventures into his watery world and thrives over the next (we hope) 30+ years.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration did its job by shepherding the young pup through his critical first phases of life in the semi-wild, reminding people to keep their distance, monitoring the baby, and ensuring that this endangered species now has a shot at living a full life swimmingly. Rumor has it that Koalani waved his (…you knew it was coming) seal of approval as he took off. One estimate suggested 500 manhours were used to help this pup! If only we would treat needy human specimens so well…
Aside from Hawaiian monk seals, the only other mammal native to these islands is the Hawaiian hoary bat, and we certainly don’t see much fuss being made over these furtive flyers, who are classified as endangered though some suggest they shouldn’t be. Named our state’s official land mammal in 2015 (was there really much competition?), hoary bats are nature’s pesticide. Bats have been much maligned historically and stigmatized repeatedly by Hollywood, but these solitary, winged wonders feast on termites, mosquitoes, beetles, crickets and moths. So there really should be no bad blood when one envisions our lone, land-based, endemic mammal. Dingbats? I think not!
I’ve witnessed wandering mongooses snatching Spam musubi from golf carts, but I’ve yet to hear local stories involving dive-bombing, belligerent bats at dusk as they search nightly for prey, while wary humans pray that they just stay away.
Hawaiian hoary bats house high in trees, fly after sunset, and are normally quite solitary. While not much is known about their actual numbers here, concerns exist that wind farms could be hazardous to the health of bats (and other locally flying creatures) unless greater mitigation rules are enacted and enforced.
Two endemic, solitary creatures- Hawaiian monk seals and hoary bats- just doing their things and providing human distraction and relief (seals are cute, bats eat insects) as they mind their own business.
Think about it…