Monk Seal Monday #11: Honey Girl | July 2017 | Edition: 1/1 NFT | License: Extended Editorial

Honey Girl (#MonkSealR5AY) was one of the grand dames of the Oahu Hawaiian monk seal population, and one of the most famous as well, with a book dedicated to her story of survival.

For more than 20 years, Honey Girl was a fixture on Oahu's beaches and gave birth to at least a dozen pups, the majority of which were female despite the typical 50/50 ratio.

She was NOAA's "Monk Seal of the Month" in July 2017 for surviving multiple "fishery interactions," when a seal becomes hooked or entangled in active fishing gear, one of which nearly ended her life in 2012.

For the full story, please see this NOAA article: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/r5ay-honey-girls-story-struggle-and-salvation-paradise, which suggests that she had survived being hooked and anchored to the bottom of the ocean floor for several days, by fighting her way to the surface to breathe. Eventually, she broke the line and was found severely underweight on a North Shore beach.

Despite having surgery to remove a third of her tongue due to injuries suffered in the incident, Honey Girl survived, was released into the wild, and continued to have additional pups until her death in April 2020. While no official cause of death was determined, due to limitations for necropsy during the pandemic, it is likely due to human interaction, whether through a disease like toxoplasmosis, spread by feral cats or drowning due to being caught in an unattended lay net.

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.