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Web site lets public watch progress of six rescued Hawaiian monk seal pups

Seal pups released last month make their first steps back into the wild in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. PHOTO: AP

Rescued from the brink of death by US researchers and other scientists, a group of young endangered Hawaiian monk seals recently released into the wild now can have their progress monitored by an adoring public.

A Web site launched by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Friday will be updated regularly with pictures and information on how six pups -- including a set of rare twins -- are doing after months of being nursed back to health in captivity.

After about two weeks in the wild, things seem to be going well for the seals, which can grow into 272kg grey giants.

The seals' doe-eyed, pug-nosed pups, however, seem increasingly vulnerable to everything from shark attacks to starvation.

Named in part for their solitary ways, Hawaiian monk seals struggle in the wild despite efforts to protect their main habitat in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

"The population is in the worst shape it's been in their 15 million years of existence," said Robert Braun, a contract veterinarian with the NOAA.

Fewer than one in five seals reaches reproductive age, making each birth critical for the species' survival. The six pups released last month are all females who were dangerously underweight sometime after weaning.

The big concern had been that the seals might not adjust well to having to forage for food.

"Both visual observations and tracking instruments have shown us that within a day or so they're acting just like their other cohorts -- very normal," Braun said.

The seals are outfitted with tracking devices.

The Web site offers photos and brief biographical data on each seal. The transmitters, which are glued to the animals' skin, last about three months.
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