Nearly a week ago, in Honolulu, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) initiated an investigation after a social media posting on Instagram appeared to show an adult male throwing an object toward a monk seal while it was swimming in the water off the Lahaina shoreline.
The tourist had been filmed lifting a large rock from the beach and tossing it at the endangered seal as the animal swam off along the Lahaina shoreline last Tuesday. The rock missed the seal’s head by inches.
What has angered animal lovers and area residents even more had been the man bragging that he didn’t care about the consequences because he was “rich” and had the money to afford the fine.
…He was picking up was like a rock the size of a coconut… and he threw it right directly aiming towards the monk seal’s head.
Kaylee Schnitzer, who originally filmed the video, yelled at the man and asked him why he would throw a rock at the seal? When Kaylee told the man she was going to call the police, here is how he supposedly responded while walking away.
I don’t care. Fine me, I’m rich.
According to Beach Grit.com a local Hawaiian citizen has been hailed as a hero for physically attacking the Seattle tourist. A viral clip of the act of citizen justice showed a man approaching the tourist and knocking him down amid a series of fist hits.
The tourist has not been identified, although local residents have been sharing his identity. He has not been charged. He had been detained for questioning by the Hawaii Department of Natural Resources, and has since requested legal counsel.
Hawaii State Senator Brenton Awa presented a letter of recognition to the anonymous local resident, calling him an “Ambassador of Aloha” for his “citizen justice.” The Maui Police Department noted they had no official report of the assault.
Maui’s mayor posted a video on Facebook, vowing to personally make sure the suspect is “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” He said people in the area care deeply about Lani.
Anyone who witnesses a possible violation involving a marine animal in Hawaii is asked to report it to NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement at 800-853-1964.
Read previous coverage of this disturbing incident here.
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