Report: 19-Year-Old Monk Seal Dies
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A well-known 19-year-old monk seal has died, Hawai‘i News Now reported.
The monk seal — better known as “Benny” who was born on Kaua‘i and known to frequent all of O‘ahu — was found on Mokuleia beach last week, the news agency reported, citing NOAA officials on Wednesday.
Benny was born on the Garden Island in 2002. He survived two life-saving surgeries to remove fishing hooks, and helped fisheries and conservation partners over the years learn a lot about the endangered Hawaiian monk seal population.
NOAA is awaiting tissue samples to determine an exact cause of death, the article stated.