HONOLULU, Hawaii. – A woman is recovering after a violent encounter with a nursing monk seal in Hawaii.
The incident happened Sunday at Kaimana Beach in Honolulu.
Video shows the woman from California swimming about 20 to 25 feet offshore.
Once her head pops out of the water, the mother monk seal, named Rocky by locals, charges at her.
According to local news outlet KITV, Rocky gave birth to a pup two weeks ago and was seen that morning “barking back and forth looking for her pup.”
The news outlet reported that about five minutes after the seal found her pup is when she charged at the nearest swimmer.
As the woman tried to swim toward the shore, the seal followed her.
“She kept on swimming straight in towards the pup. So I guess that’s mother’s instinct to like, you know, protect her pup,” witness Curt Otsuka said.
The woman was taken to a hospital. Her condition has not yet been released, however witnesses said she appeared to sustain only some scratches.
According to KITV, Hawaiian monk seals are endangered and protected under Hawaii state law.
NOAA Fisheries released the following statement after the incident:
“We and partners continue to strongly urge swimmers and beach goers to stay at least 150 feet away from mother seals with pups. While monk seals are generally not aggressive, mother seals can be very protective of their pups and have inflicted serious wounds on nearby swimmers. We urge people to consider using alternate areas for water activities when mothers with pups are in the area.”
KITV reports that Rocky and her pup are expected to be in the area for another month.