Waikīkī Aquarium will temporarily transfer 13-year-old male Hawaiian monk seal KP2 to the research program in California while the monk seal exhibit at the aquarium is updated and renovated.
KP2 previously spent several years at Long Marine Laboratory participating in cooperative research. His planned sabbatical will allow scientists to support ongoing studies of auditory biology and provide insight into how monk seal metabolism changes throughout development.
These studies support conservation efforts for wild monk seals by providing relevant biological data from non-releasable male monk seals trained to cooperate in scientific sampling. Such information is often difficult or impossible to gather from free-ranging seals. Measurements are obtained by animal care specialists without harm to seals, and research activities are monitored by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
To further study the unique physiology and sensory biology of endangered Hawaiian monk seals, marine mammal scientists at the University of California Santa Cruz are partnering with Hawaiian zoological facilities Waikīkī Aquarium and Sea Life Park on Oʻahu. The aquarium is a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research facility.
Specialized research programs and marine mammal facilities available at the University of California Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory have enabled several important studies to be completed with the species since 2009.
***This article from the University of Hawaii News, “Waikīkī Aquarium partnership supports monk seal conservation research” on September 1, 2021.
Good Luck with helping the research in California and see you in Fall 2022! I will miss you, Ho`a, KP2.
