The saga of R7AA continues. Reports of R7AA’s unusual behavior in the past, including hauling out on roads, boat ramps, sidewalks; going hundreds of feet inland to sleep overnight; and even vomiting up 30 eels all at once. Recently, she added more adventures to her unusual antics. Beginning on Feb 27th, she began spending every night hauled up behind the lifeguard tower, cuddled up to a concrete block. Most nights she was accompanied by an adult male seal–RG58, RF28, or R6FQ. After about a week of staying hauled out 24/7, there was some concern something was wrong. She had molted last July at Poipu, and since monk seals only molt once per year, she had another four months until her expected molt. Her alertness was normal, her movement up and down the beach to thermoregulate at the waterline was normal, and all other observable behaviors appeared normal, but a close eye was kept on her.
Finally, after 12 straight days at Poipu all day and night, she finally started to show signs of molt, four months early. It has now been 23 days, and she is fully molted, but she continues to remain on the beach most of the day, leaving for a few hours, most likely to forage. But she returns and settles in at night.
She’s looking beautiful in her new coat, and is in normal body condition for a recently molted seal (thin but healthy), and so it’s expected that she’ll move along soon.
The Poipu volunteer team deserves a major kudos for managing a possible record breaking haul-out of over 500 hours!
Kaua'i Seals 