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COURTESY HAWAII MARINE ANIMAL RESPONSE<\/p>\n
NOAA confirmed that Hawaiian monk seal RU02, also known as \u02bbUmi\u02bbumi, died of toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease.<\/p>\n
Wildlife authorities have confirmed the death of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal pup earlier this month on Oahu\u2019s North Shore.<\/p>\n
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it got a report last Wednesday of a deceased monk seal entangled in an unattended fishing net about 10 yards offshore of an area west of Mokuleia Beach Park.<\/p>\n
NOAA\u2019s nonprofit partner, Hawaii Marine Animal Response, along with state conservation officers responded and retrieved the pup and net from the ocean.<\/p>\n
NOAA has identified the pup as RV36, an approximately three-month-old male pup born in late April at Kaena Point State Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur experts will conduct a necropsy to attempt to determine RV36\u2019s cause of death,\u201d said NOAA in a post. \u201cThis postmortem examination may help shed light on whether the seal\u2019s death was caused by the entanglement, or whether other factors may have been involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of standard procedure, NOAA has alerted its Office of Law Enforcement of the death.<\/p>\n
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The pup\u2019s death follows that of another monk seal, RUO2, known to most as \u2018Umi\u2018umi, several months ago.<\/p>\n
NOAA said the 1-year-old male seal was found dead on Oahu\u2019s North Shore in early May.<\/p>\n
HMAR recovered the seal, and after conducting a necropsy, or post-mortem exam, NOAA confirmed \u2018Umi\u2018umi died from toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease.<\/p>\n
Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii \u2014 a microscopic parasite that reproduces in the intestines of cats.<\/p>\n
NOAA said warm-blooded animals like RU02 are infected after ingesting food or water contaminated by the infectious eggs, which enter the environment through cat feces.<\/p>\n
Once infected, the parasite can cause severe inflammation and dysfunction in a seal\u2019s vital organs, including the brain, heart, liver, and lungs. There is no vaccine or cure for toxoplasmosis.<\/p>\n
Volunteers that track the monk seals are lamenting the losses.<\/p>\n