A local Hawaiian is being hailed a hero for pummeling a Seattle tourist caught hurling a huge rock at a beloved monk seal — and even earned a special recognition from the state government for the vigilante ass-whooping.
The entitled tourist, 37, allegedly approached the endangered seal — known by Hawaiians as Lani — and tossed a massive rock at her as she swam along the shoreline off Front Street in Lahaina on Tuesday, according to social media posts and the Hawaii Department of Natural Resources.
After other beachgoers learned of the visitor’s disgusting, caught-on-camera act, at least one enraged local went after the seal abuser and repeatedly punched him, according to video shared on social media.
The viral clip of the act of citizen justice shows a shirtless man approaching the Seattle man from behind and knocking him down in a flurry of blows.
The footage quickly scored thousands of likes and comments praising the local for helping dish out karma.
The beat-down also grabbed the attention of state Sen. Brenton Awa, who showed off a letter of recognition for the anonymous seal advocate during a state meeting.
“Some of us have seen environmental activists [sic], I like to call them, who took matters into his own hands to educate what might happen when you mess with our lands or the animals,” Awa said. “Our attorney over here wants to make it clear we don’t condone violence, but we did make a letter of recognition for Mr. Ambassador of Aloha.
“And I do just want to say that from our caucus, we see this all the time with people with a different type of mentality coming in and destroying our stuff, essentially, in this case, animals. But we’d like at least the airline to play this type of video on all flights incoming so people don’t do this kind of stuff,” he added.
The destructive tourist, who hasn’t been publicly identified, was detained for questioning following the outrage, the Hawaii Department of Natural Resources said.
He was later released after he requested legal counsel. No criminal charges have been filed against him yet, authorities said.
“Let me be clear, this is not the kind of visitor we welcome on Maui,” Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said in a video posted to social media.
“We welcome respectful visitors that understand that our cultural environment and wildlife must be treated with care and aloha. Behavior like this will not be tolerated.”
Bissen, who is a former judge and prosecutor, said the alleged heinous attack on the endangered marine mammal struck a personal chord for many in the community.
Lani, the monk seal, has become a symbol of Maui’s recovery following the devastating Lahaina wildfires.
“Since Lani’s return to Lahaina following the 2023 wildfires, members of the Mayor’s team and residents alike have watched over and cared deeply for her,” Maui County said in an Instagram post.
In comments under the video of the beatdown, many users rushed to say the tourist had it coming.
“Once he threw the rock, his fate was sealed,” one user wrote.
“Pretty bad when the whole state of Hawaii after you,” another user said.
If charged, the man could face a $50,000 fine and possible jail time for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which protects Hawaiian monk seals.
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources’ enforcement division has turned the case over to federal prosecutors with NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement for possible prosecution under federal wildlife protection laws.
