Tag: Haleakalā National Park

Can you spot ‘the dog that runs in rough waters’?

Haleakalā National Park on Maui announced a “special appearance” on the shores of ‘Ohe’o Gulch that occurred last month.

Haleakalā National Park on Maui announced a “special appearance” on the shores of ‘Ohe’o Gulch that occurred last month. It’s an Ilioholoikauaua, one of two native mammals in Hawaii, and it’s napping. Can you spot it?

Ilioholoikauaua translates to “the dog that runs in rough waters,” and is better known as an Hawaiian monk seal.

The park on Tuesday posted the image of the sleepy visitor on its Facebook page.

“According to NOAA, Hawaiian monk seals are one of the world’s most endangered species with just around 1,400 left in the wild,” the post states. “They are solitary animals that spend most of their time at sea. You may find them catching some much-needed rest along the shoreline. It is important to allow them a significant amount of space to molt, rest, give birth, and care for their pups.”

This one had no worries about being bothered, as no humans were in sight.

“Hawaiian monk seals are often seen sleeping on the beach, digesting their food and resting from long hunts,” the Hanalei River Heritage Foundation writes.

But, as stated, they spend most of their time out at sea where they feed at depths up to 1,000 feet. They can hold their breath for up to 20 minutes.

A closer look at the sleeping Hawaiian monk seal:

Did a curse prompt tourist to return rocks to national park?

A tourist from Hawaii mailed three rocks back to Bryce Canyon National Park from where they had been stolen. Was it due to Pele’s Curse?

A tourist from Hawaii mailed three rocks back to Bryce Canyon National Park from where they had been stolen, and a theory as to what prompted this righting of a wrong might relate to Pele’s Curse.

Hawaiian legend has it that Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, becomes angered when tourists take home a lava rock, and bad luck befalls anyone who dares to steal “a sacred piece of the fire goddess.”

Hundreds of superstitious people return lava rocks and other natural items to Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and Haleakalā National Park each year, fearing Pele’s Curse has brought them misfortune or bad luck, according to a Bryce Canyon Facebook post.

In 2001, the Los Angeles Times detailed the story of Timothy Murray, who believed he was cursed by Pele. Murray had taken some black sand from Hawaii back home to Florida and experienced some really bad luck, prompting him to send the sand back.

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So, did the tourist who took the rocks from Bryce Canyon suffer a bit of bad luck and, reflecting upon Pele’s Curse, feel the need to return them to appease a goddess from Bryce? It’s possible. Or perhaps they learned it was illegal.

“While no known legends exist for the unfortunate consequences of removing resources from Bryce Canyon, it is punishable by law,” the Utah park stated in its post. “It is also damaging to this fragile geologic formation. While taking a few rocks from the park may not seem like a big deal, imagine if all 2.5 million annual visitors to Bryce Canyon decided to do the same.”

The park gave assurance that the three rocks in question were returned to their natural habitat.

Photos courtesy of Bryce Canyon National Park.