I am preparing for my radio show on Sunday, May 3, 2015,  and would like to request your assistance in obtaining answers to the following questions related to the recent death of a monk seal identified as RB24/RB25, or bleach identification N24.  I have read and viewed a number of news accounts attributing statements regarding the capture, transport, housing and   necropsy of the above mentioned monk seal.    It would be irresponsible of me not to share with you my dismay and frustration with the manner some of the National Marine Fisheries' employees and volunteers have behaved in this matter.

 

Specifically, I am of the opinion that some of the information being presented to the public is pretexual and misleading. Take for instance the original claim by these individuals that Haupu/B24/B25 and other monk seals were taken into captivity for a few days to protect them from a possible diesel spill caused by a sunken tugboat off the coast of the island of Oahu.   None of the news accounts attributed to your agency   ever mentioned the capture was also due to concerns that B24/B25 and N24 were ill and would be evaluated for the failing health of the animal mentioned above.

 

It is my understanding that on several occasions at least one volunteer informed your staff that the monk seal  was "logging" at a number of sites, including various sites at Ko Olina Resort.    If this is true, why did your agency not remove the animal and administer medication and care?   Not treating the animal after receiving   this information heightens my suspicion,  especially after a written statement in one online WordPress report, the following is stated " RB24 had been a seal of concern that PIRO and PIFSC had been closely monitoring for the last few months. She was one of the four seals brought into temporary captivity during a tugboat oil spill in January. In early March, she miscarried her second pregnancy. During the last few months, RB24 had frequently been reported logging in the waters off Ko`olina on O`ahu.   After close observation, she was eventually brought into captivity for assessment and rehabilitation. Shortly thereafter, she passed away.   A necropsy was immediately performed."

Aliza Milette-Winfree,  the Marine Mammal Stranding Response Coordinator states " Having a definitive cause of death also helps with understanding what role our handling during the diesel spill may have had on her. At this point it seems that there was no connection between that event and her illness."  

While this may be true, the bigger question that needs to be asked and answered is;  was or is there a connection to that event and her miscarriage?   

 

 How can such representation of "closely monitored" be made while the animal was clearly distressed and not  taken into captivity for treatment?  

 

Why did they take 10 days to pick up a young female seal that hadn't hauled out in the water since the miscarriage and who wasn't responding to the swimmers/divers?

 

Did the capture, transport, and housing of the above mentioned monk seal contribute to the death of the monk seal?

Can the National Marine Fisheries Service say definitively that toxoplasma gondii   was directly responsible for the death, opposed to the recent miscarriage that occurred shortly before her death?

 

Was the monk seal evaluated to determine if the capture, transport, housing of it had any negative impact on her pregnancy?   If yes, What was done?    

 

When did the seal Haupu/ N24, first miscarry and what was the location?

When the first pup died, did they do a necropsy?   if so, did they diagnose leptospirosis or toxoplasma gondii?

 

Was the miscarriage caused or triggered by RIMPAC?

 

If a necropsy was performed on both pups. was toxoplasma gondii or leptospirosis detected in their bodies"

Did your agency determine N24 miscarried a pup at Koolina in lagoon 4?

What did your agency do to determine that the capture and transport of Haupu/N24 did not cause the miscarriage of her pup B25 at Koolina?

What measures did your agency take to insure that the capture and return of N24 to the wild would not trigger a miscarriage?

Why in some reports did NOAA personal claim to have only captured N24 and other monk seals to prevent them from being negatively impacted by diesel fuel leaking from a sunken tugboat near the island of Oahu and failed to state that Haupu/N24 was brought in to monitor her health condition, as   claimed after her death?      

If toxoplasma gondii   been diagnosed, could the female seal  have been treated then?   With what success rate?

 

Did your agency issue a formal press release regarding the miscarriages and the death of this monk seal N24?   If yes, please provide a copy.

 

Why were the monk seals taken from the wild to "prevent them from being impacted by the oil spill" then returned while the source of the oil still existed and still posed a potential threat?

 

If toxoplasma gandii is the cause of death, what haves you done to inform the public,   what have you done to   mitigate the problem, and what is your formal strategy to prevent this from killing more monk seals?

 

I would also like to invite you or a member of your staff to participate in the discussion on my radio show.   The show airs at 9 to 11 a.m.    If someone is available please have them contact me via email or phone to confirm.    They can also participate by calling in at 808-524-9510.

Thank you

 

Carroll Cox

 

CARROLLCOX.COM