That's right, me!! Turbo Kitty coming at you. She's trouble. OK, onto the seals.
The main goal of our return to French Frigate Shoals was to tag the remaining nine weaned pups from the summer and relocate those born on islets where many pups have been taken by sharks to locations within the atoll that will hopefully give them a better chance of survival. Of those nine pups, we have found and tagged five and know of a sixth who has been seen twice swimming around Tern Island. Three of those five were moved successfully, and two were born on islands that are safe for them to remain. Unfortunately, three of the pups haven't been seen since we arrived. We also discovered the carcass of a pup born some time in the past few weeks.
We are outfitting some of these pups with sonic tags as a side project to a study looking at shark movements. The tags transmit a signal that is detected by underwater devices stationed throughout the area. The tag is attached to a piece of neoprene which is glued to the seal's fur. It will stay on until the seal molts next year.
This is the time of year when many monk seals are experiencing their annual molt, when they lose the top layer of skin and fur as a fresh coat comes in underneath. They tend to be more alert and irritable during this time which can last a few weeks. (Think of a peeling tan after an awesome sunburn - good times.) One way we can help out next years summer crew is to apply unique numbers using a standard hair dye to this new coat. The act of applying the number without disturbing the animal can be a bit tricky, but once it's set that seal can be easily identified from a distance until he or she molts again next year.
We have also been helping the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge manager, Dave, and Jessie have been out here for a month together and have another three to go. So we provide entertainment and assistance in our spare time, in addition to standard chores around the island. (They are clearly tired of cleaning the bathroom and mopping the floors ;) Seriously, they do a great job of keeping this place running in addition to monitoring wildlife. We plan to help with the removal of a large net aggregate that is partially buried at the east end of Tern Island. Abandoned nets are a hazard to all wildlife and removing entanglement debris is an important part of everyone's job out here.
Stay tuned for more exciting tales from Tern!
BTW: Although there are only two flies here... they are persistent and extremely annoying. Here's one now....
Oh yeah, the flat kind.
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