ke kai ola marine mammal center

Ke Kai Ola, the Hawaiian monk seal hospital in Kailua-Kona, has been rehabilitating sick and injured seals until they are able to survive in the wild. Two former patients from Ke Kai Ola were found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands with pups of their own.

A Hawaiian monk seal pup was transported to the Marine Mammal Center’s hospital Ke Kai Ola for critical care. The female pup named Malama was found on Mānana Island — also known as Rabbit Island — off the coast of the eastern end of Oʻahu.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced the Hawaiian monk seal population has grown to more than 1,500.

The male juvenile monk seal is known as N2 was suffering from malnutrition after swallowing fishing gear. He was transported from Oʻahu to the Marine Mammal Center in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island for care.