  E-mail ConservationCute@gmail.com  Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Harsher Penalties for Hawaiian Monk Seal Harm  A bill recently
became Hawaiian state law, increasing penalties for those caught
intentionally harming Hawaiian endangered animals, including the
Hawaiian monk seal. Doing so could result in up to a $50,000
fine and five years in prison, as hurting endangered animals has
been raised to a class C felony. The Hawaiian monk seal was
targeted to be the primary beneficiary of the bill.  The
Hawaiian monk seal is currently considered to be critically
endangered, with an estimated 1,000 individuals remaining. They
are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and prefer living on islands
mostly uninhabited by humans. They eat fish, octopus, eel, and
lobster, which they dive as deep as 600 feet to obtain. They
have the ability to slow their heart rate down to 10% of the
norm when they are diving, reducing their need for oxygen, and
increasing the amount of time they can stay underwater, up to 20
minutes.  Because of th