Rare monk seal arrives in Hawaii

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HONOLULU – A Coast Guard aircrew piloting an HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Sacramento assisted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in transporting a rare monk seal back to Hawaii, Tuesday.

The seal, named Hō'ailona, also known as KP2, was abandoned early in life and was taken into the care of NOAA Fisheries. Once he was deemed capable of living on his own, he was released into the wild. However, over the course of several months, his vision became impaired. He also tended to interact heavily with humans, which posed a possible risk to public safety.

Prior to his return to Hawaii, Hō'ailona was under the care of teams of veterinarians and mammal scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Hō'ailona was brought back to Hawaii by a Coast Guard aircrew from Sacramento, California. He was then taken to his new home at the Waikiki Aquarium.

To read about Hō'ailona’s history, visit: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/kp2.htm

For more information contact the 14th Coast Guard District public affairs office at 808-535-3230.

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