Two people charged in death of Hawaiian monk seal pup on Oahu’s north shore

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Charges have been filed in connection with the death of a Hawaiian monk seal pup on the North Shore in May.

The autopsy of puppy P07 revealed that he died from injuries consistent with a dog attack.

In a press release Thursday, the DLNR said one of its employees, an interpreter technician with the Division of State Parks, reported the seal’s death.

NOAA issued its own press release on Thursday saying it had filed charges against interpreters Lesley Macpherson and James Armstrong Lyman for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act by illegally taking a marine mammal.

They were “jointly ordered to pay a civil penalty of $20,000 in connection with an attack by unleashed dogs that resulted in the death of a juvenile Hawaiian monk seal.”

The DLNR said all violations of state laws, administrative regulations or county ordinances would be investigated.

The death of P07 was the third known death of a monk seal due to a dog attack.

In 2014, juvenile RFX4 was killed on Kauai and in 2023, juvenile RS48 (Hoʻomau Lehua) was killed on Oʻahu.

NOAA Fisheries asks pet owners to protect monk seals and other native wildlife by complying with their county’s leash laws.