一只名为RU99的年轻夏威夷僧海豹在5月31日出现在莫洛凯岛居民Hawaiiloa Mowat的院子里，并多次返回该地[1]。这只一岁大的海豹原名Namakaʻeleʻōlino（意为"黑色闪亮的眼睛"），绰号为"Lino-boy"[1]，曾于4月从Ke Kai Ola海豹医院放归野生，当时约9个月大[1]。
Mowat在社交媒体上分享了与RU99的故事，吸引了超过14000名粉丝[1]，这一互动正在改变莫洛凯岛居民对僧海豹的看法。长期以来该岛存在对僧海豹的误解，甚至发生过杀害事件。2023年莫洛凯岛报告了多起僧海豹杀害事件，之后至少还有约10起可疑死亡[1]。夏威夷僧海豹全球现存仅约1600只，其中约400只生活在人口密集的主要夏威夷岛屿周围[1]。Mowat的倡导通过社交媒体的传播，正在帮助这个约有7300人口的莫洛凯岛社区提高对这一濒危物种的接纳度[1]。
A young Hawaiian monk seal named RU99 has become an unlikely ambassador for her endangered species on the island of Molokaʻi. On May 31st, the one-year-old seal appeared in the yard of resident Hawaiiloa Mowat in the Kapaʻakea community and returned repeatedly to the location.[1] Originally named Namakaʻeleʻōlino, meaning "black shiny eyes," the seal had been nicknamed "Lino-boy" and was released from Ke Kai Ola seal hospital into the wild in April when she was approximately nine months old.[1]
Mowat documented his interactions with RU99 on social media, where his account has attracted more than 14,000 followers.[1] The attention surrounding the seal has begun to shift local attitudes toward the species at a critical moment for conservation. Hawaiian monk seals number only about 1,600 globally, with roughly 400 living in the densely populated waters surrounding the main Hawaiian islands.[1] Molokaʻi itself has a population of approximately 7,300 people, and the island has struggled with misunderstandings about the seals; in 2023, multiple monk seals were killed on the island, followed by at least 10 additional suspicious deaths.[1] Mowat's advocacy through social media is helping to increase community acceptance of this critically endangered marine mammal.[1]