Hawaiian Monk Seals Monitored for Infectious Diseases

Wildlife Trust's Research Shows Continuous Surveillance Needed to Protect Highly Endangered Monk Seals

NEW YORK - May 15, 2007 - Dr. Alonso Aguirre, Vice President of Conservation Medicine at Wildlife Trust, and a team of researchers report in an article published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases that infectious diseases could pose a serious threat to the Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi). The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world and their numbers have declined in recent years. In addition to the threat posed by starvation, predation by sharks, and net entanglement, monk seals may be affected by biotoxins and infectious diseases.

As part of the conservation effort to save this species, Dr. Aguirre and the team studied and tested more than 25% of the Hawaiian monk seal population over a five-year period along the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The seals were sampled for antibodies to viruses, bacteria and parasites known to kill other marine mammal species. The monk seals were captured and handled in accordance with the National Marine Fisheries Service guidelines to minimize adverse effects on the animals. The scientific team sampled from six breeding sites in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Current knowledge of infectious diseases affecting other marine mammals is documented but little has been known about the potential impact on the monk seal population. "Preliminary data shows that continuous surveillance is needed to detect the introduction or emergence of infectious diseases among the Hawaiian monk seal species. To preserve this marine mammal, more research needs to be conducted to secure the monk seal's future," said Aguirre. Since current management efforts to enhance the recovery of the endangered monk seal has only relied on animals in captive care, Aguirre notes the importance of monitoring these animals in their natural habitat where pathogens may already be present.

This study was the first epidemiologic study of wild Hawaiian monk seals. The resulting data will aid conservationists by providing important information that can potentially affect the health and management of this endangered species.