HONOLULU (KHON2) — Officials with NOAA announced a reward for information about the intentional killing of a beloved Hawaiian monk seal.
Malama, also known as RQ76, was found dead at ʻŌhikilolo on March 12. Her body was taken for a post-mortem investigation by NOAA.
The agency found that Malama’s cause of death was blunt force trauma. Due to the findings, NOAA requested more tests by national experts.
Multiple experts provided analysis and NOAA said “the weight of expertise points to that being caused by intentional killing.”
NOAA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to successful prosecution of the responsible parties. Those with information can call NOAA’s Enforcement Hotline at (808) 853-1964.