WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) - A Hawaiian monk seal that somehow washed astray has been removed from the side of a highway in Maui.
Police cars and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration workers set up a perimeter around the seal on Wednesday to protect it from traffic. It was then moved from the area by federal officials.
Officials did not confirm that high surf and tides washed the seal wayward, but the National Weather Service has issued an advisory statement for coastal flooding in Maui County.
Passer-by Asa Ellison was in the area looking for king tides when he saw the seal and took a picture. He said the seal was alive and didn’t appear to be injured.
“They’re called monk seals because they live a solitary life,” Ellison said. “They don’t normally go to a crowded place.”
Ellison says traffic was slowed from sand and rocks washing up onto the highway - and because of the seal.
Coastal flooding associated with king tides will become a possibility each day heading into the weekend, according to the weather service, especially along south-facing shores due to elevated surf.
King tides are the highest tides of the year.
Impacts will include flooding of beaches due to a combination of wave run-up from the surf and higher-than-normal water levels, according to the weather service. Ocean water could also inundate the vulnerable low-lying roads, docks, boat ramps and other coastal infrastructure.
The potential for coastal flooding will begin to lower over the weekend and early next week as the peak daily tides and surf trend down.
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