Many are by now familiar with a recent video circulating on social media of a man throwing a rock at a monk seal.
The offender could face up to $70,000 in fines and possible jail time, and it’s thanks to an anonymous tipster who filmed the video and immediately called the Department of Land and Natural Resources to report the crime.
That’s exactly what organizations like Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response urge bystanders to do when they see an animal in danger — record and report.
It’s been 10 years since the organization opened its doors, and to mark the occasion, HPR paid a visit to HMAR in Kailua to tour their headquarters— otherwise known as the “barn.”
HPR also sat down with Jon Gelman, HMAR President and Founder, and McKinley Walter, director of operations, to talk about interacting with marine wildlife respectfully and what HMAR has been able to accomplish over the past decade.
“We're on the beaches every single day around our resting Hawaiian Monk Seals so that we can provide that outreach and education,” Walter said.
And the impact is clear. “Once people know the distance guidelines, that 50 feet to stay from a resting Hawaiian monk seal, or the 10 feet to stay from a resting sea turtle, they're totally willing to do that,” she continued.
According to Gelman, in the past 10 years, HMAR has been out on the field providing direct help to marine life nearly 34,000 times. That help includes informing the public on how to properly interact with marine wildlife, rescuing animals in danger, and recovering deceased animals for scientific research.
“Being in the vicinity or next to an animal is the best way to perform outreach, because it really increases the uptake of information for the public,” Gelman said.
For Walter, the on-the-spot nature of the outreach makes it all the more meaningful.
“Anytime I'm able to go disentangle a sea turtle, it feels really special because we're able to give that life back to the ocean,” she said.
With the recent news of a man nearly striking a monk seal with a rock, Gelman offers clear guidance on what to do when a marine animal is in danger: “Call someone in authority. Providing a GPS location of where you are, providing pictures of what you're seeing, these are all really important portions of that initial contact so that we can then evaluate what's going on.”
HMAR will be hosting an open house at their Kailua headquarters on May 31. More information and a link to register can be found here.
If you see a marine animal in danger, you can call the NOAA Marine Wildlife hotline at (888) 256-9840.
This story aired on The Conversation on May 13, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
