Rest In Peace

Okay, this is the capper to a pretty crappy week. One of our volunteers found a monk seal deceased on the beach in Waimanalo this morning, and it's the pup we were watching up in Kahuku all summer. He was tagged and given the permanent name of Hoku when he was moved to Rabbit Island and was doing quite well there with a number of others, still kinda roly poly and easy-going like he was as a pup.

But Hoku is gone now. The NOAA scientists will be doing a necropsy to figure out why. I'm so sad today...need to go sit on a beach somewhere and cry.

Rest in peace, sweet Hoku...