Notes from the artist, Jenny Kendler:
This print is inspired by the endangered species posters of my 80's childhood. Hang this print over your bed and dream about swimming in an iridescent ocean with the charismatic seals of Hawaii.
About HMSRTO:
The story of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Team Oahu began in 2006, when a seal gave birth at Turtle Bay. Word spread that help was needed to watch over the mother and pup, and dozens of volunteers took daily shifts for several weeks, until the pup was weaned.
Today, HMSRTO has grown and achieved non-profit status, with many volunteers able to rapidly respond across the Island, and a hotline to report seal spottings.
HMSRTO's mission is to spread public awareness and provide volunteers, gear, and outreach materials for haul-outs, pupping events and reported injuries --- in order to ensure a future for the ancient, endemic, and charismatic 'Ilio-holo-ika-ua-ua.
CLICK HERE to add this print to your cart and pay online, or CLICK HERE to pay by check.
This print is inspired by the endangered species posters of my 80's childhood. Hang this print over your bed and dream about swimming in an iridescent ocean with the charismatic seals of Hawaii.
About HMSRTO:
The story of the Hawaiian Monk Seal Response Team Oahu began in 2006, when a seal gave birth at Turtle Bay. Word spread that help was needed to watch over the mother and pup, and dozens of volunteers took daily shifts for several weeks, until the pup was weaned.
Today, HMSRTO has grown and achieved non-profit status, with many volunteers able to rapidly respond across the Island, and a hotline to report seal spottings.
HMSRTO's mission is to spread public awareness and provide volunteers, gear, and outreach materials for haul-outs, pupping events and reported injuries --- in order to ensure a future for the ancient, endemic, and charismatic 'Ilio-holo-ika-ua-ua.
CLICK HERE to add this print to your cart and pay online, or CLICK HERE to pay by check.
ABOUT THE HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL
The critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal is the only species of seal to grace the waters and beaches of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. The species is known to native Hawaiians by the evocative name 'Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, or "dog that runs in rough water." Hawaiian Monk Seals are considered a 'true seal' and are known as a 'living fossil,' having remained largely unchanged for 15 million years. However, the species's long survival may soon be halted by human beings. Today, it is estimated that only 900-1000 of these ancient creatures remain.
Mature seals have gray to brownish coats, with males weighing in at 300-400 pounds and females 400-600 pounds. Their coats are often marked with scars from shark attacks or injuries from fishing gear. These markings help conservationists identify individual seals. Like most seals, Hawaiian Monk Seals are long-lived and can reach 30 years old.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the world's rarest species of seal, though the Mediterranean Monk Seal is even more endangered. The related Caribbean Monk Seal, not having been spotted since the 1950's, was officially declared extinct in 2008.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal may also be threatened with extinction, unless people are willing to change their behavior. Seal populations have been in rapid decline in recent years. Though the population was initially devastated in the 19th century when whalers/sealers clubbed seals to death for meat and skins --- current human activities, such as fishing, continue to threaten the seals with extinction.
Overfishing is thought to be the reason for the Caribbean Monk Seals's extinction, and many Hawaiian Monk Seals starve to death for lack of access to foods, such as lobsters, also favored by humans. In addition, the playful, curious seals are often attracted to and caught in fishing gear and nets, where they drown. Hawaiian fisheries must learn to operate in a sustainable manner, or we may lose this wonderful species the same way we have lost so many others.
In an effort to raise awareness, grassroots groups, (such as HMSRTO, which this print supports) successfully petitioned to have the Hawaiian Monk Seal declared Hawaii's State Mammal. Because of this new-found awareness, and the recent creation of the 140,000 sq. mile Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, there may be hope. Hawaiian Monk Seals are slowly returning to the main islands of Hawaii. Twelve pups were born in 2006, rising to thirteen in 2007 and eighteen in 2008, but nonetheless, the Hawaiian Monk Seal remains in great danger.
If you are ever lucky enough to see one of these charismatic animals in person, please be aware that mother seals will often abandon preferred beaches when disturbed by humans, so please enjoy them from a distance of at least 100 feet, and know that you are helping to preserve a special and incredible species.
The critically endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal is the only species of seal to grace the waters and beaches of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. The species is known to native Hawaiians by the evocative name 'Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, or "dog that runs in rough water." Hawaiian Monk Seals are considered a 'true seal' and are known as a 'living fossil,' having remained largely unchanged for 15 million years. However, the species's long survival may soon be halted by human beings. Today, it is estimated that only 900-1000 of these ancient creatures remain.
Mature seals have gray to brownish coats, with males weighing in at 300-400 pounds and females 400-600 pounds. Their coats are often marked with scars from shark attacks or injuries from fishing gear. These markings help conservationists identify individual seals. Like most seals, Hawaiian Monk Seals are long-lived and can reach 30 years old.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the world's rarest species of seal, though the Mediterranean Monk Seal is even more endangered. The related Caribbean Monk Seal, not having been spotted since the 1950's, was officially declared extinct in 2008.
The Hawaiian Monk Seal may also be threatened with extinction, unless people are willing to change their behavior. Seal populations have been in rapid decline in recent years. Though the population was initially devastated in the 19th century when whalers/sealers clubbed seals to death for meat and skins --- current human activities, such as fishing, continue to threaten the seals with extinction.
Overfishing is thought to be the reason for the Caribbean Monk Seals's extinction, and many Hawaiian Monk Seals starve to death for lack of access to foods, such as lobsters, also favored by humans. In addition, the playful, curious seals are often attracted to and caught in fishing gear and nets, where they drown. Hawaiian fisheries must learn to operate in a sustainable manner, or we may lose this wonderful species the same way we have lost so many others.
In an effort to raise awareness, grassroots groups, (such as HMSRTO, which this print supports) successfully petitioned to have the Hawaiian Monk Seal declared Hawaii's State Mammal. Because of this new-found awareness, and the recent creation of the 140,000 sq. mile Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, there may be hope. Hawaiian Monk Seals are slowly returning to the main islands of Hawaii. Twelve pups were born in 2006, rising to thirteen in 2007 and eighteen in 2008, but nonetheless, the Hawaiian Monk Seal remains in great danger.
If you are ever lucky enough to see one of these charismatic animals in person, please be aware that mother seals will often abandon preferred beaches when disturbed by humans, so please enjoy them from a distance of at least 100 feet, and know that you are helping to preserve a special and incredible species.
