Caught On Camera: Hawaiian Monk Seal Born On Oahu Beach

Images of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal being born on an Oahu beach have been captured on camera.

Lesley Macperhson, an employee of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, shot video and photos of the pup emerging from her mother onto white sands last week. The mother monk seal checked on her pup by barking.

Hawaiian monk seals are an endangered species. There are only about 1,400 seals in the world. About three-quarters of this total live in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a remote string of small atolls northwest of Hawaii's populated islands. The rest, about 300 seals, live in the Main Hawaiian Islands including Oahu and Maui.

The pup, named PO5, was one of two baby seals born on Oahu last week. Officials and volunteers will actively monitor the moms and their pups over the next five to six weeks.

Three other pups born on Oahu this year died of undetermined causes.

Ryan Jenkinson, who leads the department's protected species program, said it's important for people to stay outside roped barriers set up to safeguard the mothers and their pups. He urged people to keep their dogs on leashes at all times.