Monk Seal Monday #6: Kaimana | August 2017 | Edition: 1/1 NFT | License: Extended Editorial

Kaimana is one of the more famous of the endangered Hawaiian monk seals after she was born on the usually crowded Kaimana Beach in Waikiki in the summer of 2017.

Dubbed the Year of the Monk Seal, 2017 celebrated the ten year anniversary of the publication of the Recovery Plan for the Hawaiian Monk Seal, a critical change in the approach to conserving one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world.

Over the six weeks after she was born on June 29, 2017, people from around the world watched and fell in love with Rocky (#MonkSealRH58) and Kaimana (#MonkSealRJ58). More than 3 million people watched the pair on Civil Beat live stream camera feed, and have continued to follow the pair and the fate of Hawaiian monk seals since. This pair helped introduce the world to these beautiful endangered animals.

After she was weaned, Kaimana was relocated to a remote beach on Oahu and fitted with a GPS transponder to track her movements. I photographed her coming out of the ocean after a swim, and this image was my first published to the front page of the Star Advertiser, as the featured image recapping the year's monk seal pups.

The Monk Seal Monday collection is 20 images curated from more than 10 years of photographing one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world, the Hawaiian monk seal. Only 1,400 remain and 30% of those are here today due to the direct intervention of the organizations working to conserve them. I have spent thousands of hours doing education and outreach as a volunteer on the beaches with these beautiful animals.

I've also been doing Monk Seal Monday posts on social media for longer than I can remember and will continue to do so every Monday. Despite all our best efforts, this is a species hanging in the balance. I hope my Monk Seal post each Monday helps call attention to this beautiful animal and the work to conserve them for future generations. Now, with NFTs curated from these Monk Seal Monday images, I hope to do more.

A portion of the proceeds from each sale in this collection will be donated to the non-profit organizations on the front lines of rescuing this species from extinction.

Jason O'Rourke is an award-winning wildlife and landscape photographer living in Hawaii, recognized by National Geographic YourShot, Outdoor Photographer, Hawaii Magazine, Digital Photo, American Photo, the Los Angeles Times, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, PhotoCon Hawaii, and Turtle Bay Resort.

Extended Editorial License: Can be used to display privately, or in commercial and non-commercial settings, or in groups with an unlimited number of participants. The License includes unlimited use and display in virtual or physical galleries, documentaries, and essays by the NFT holder. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works.