US agents arrest tourist after video shows a rock hurled at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal’s head

HONOLULU (AP) — A tourist from Washington state is facing federal charges after a witness recorded what prosecutors say was a video of him hurling a coconut-sized rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal just off a Maui beach last week.

Special agents with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration arrested Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, in the Seattle area Wednesday, the U.S. attorney’s office in Honolulu said. Lytvynchuk, who lives in Covington, Washington, was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday on charges of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal.

The video drew widespread condemnation and demands for prosecution in Hawaii, including from Maui’s mayor.

The court docket didn’t list an attorney for him, and a person who answered the phone at a number associated with Lytvynchuk declined to comment.

A state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer last week investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, the community that was largely destroyed by a deadly wildfire in 2023. A witness showed the officer video of the seal swimming in shallow water while a man watched from shore.

“In the cellphone video, the man can be seen holding a large rock with one hand, aiming, and throwing it directly at the monk seal,” prosecutors said a criminal complaint. The rock, described by a witness as the size of a coconut, narrowly missed the seal’s head, but caused the “animal to abruptly alter its behavior,” the complaint said.

When a witness confronted the man, he said “he did not care and was ‘rich’ enough to pay any fines,” according to the complaint.

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the charges send a clear message that cruelty toward protected wildlife won’t be tolerated. He identified the seal as “Lani,” a known and beloved character along Lahaina’s waterfront, whose return after the wildfires brought a sense of healing and hope during a difficult time.

But the state natural resources department said in an email it likely was not Lani, as it lacked certain markings.

“Humanity and the instinct to protect what is vulnerable are still values people can unite around,” Bissen said in an emailed statement.

The mayor said he called the U.S. attorney in Honolulu to advocate for prosecution.

Lytvynchuk is charged with violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. Only 1,600 remain in the wild.

If convicted, Lytvynchuk, faces up to one year in prison for each charge. He also faces a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

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Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report.