Sealed with a kiss! Endangered Hawaiian monk seal shares tender moment with newborn pup on Waikiki beach

AN ENDANGERED Hawaiian monk seal has given birth on a Waikiki beach for the first time in decades, to the delight of wildlife experts.

The seal was born late on Wednesday or early Thursday, said Angela Amlin, co-ordinator for the Hawaiian Monk Seal Recovery Programme.

The mother, known as RH58 and nicknamed Rocky, has lived on and around Oahu since 2002. But she would return to Kauai, where she was born 17 years ago, to give birth.

This time she had her pup at Kaimana, an area in Waikiki popular with Honolulu residents.

It is the first seal to be born in the densely populated tourist district since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began keeping track in the 1970s, Ms Amlin said.

She says monk seals normally like to give birth in quiet spots so it is rare that pups appear in a congested place like Waikiki.

Monk seal pups usually nurse for about five to seven weeks.

Mothers are protective of their pups during this time and officials are urging people to keep their distance so they do not disturb the pair.

Hawaiian monk seals are an endangered species. There are only about 1,400 in the wild.