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People who live in Hawaii have a complicated relationship with the tourists who play a major role in boosting the state’s economy. Outsiders who fail to show the proper respect while visiting the island are just asking for trouble, and one man got some from locals and federal authorities after throwing a rock at a beloved (and protected) seal on Maui.
Hawaii is known for the natural beauty that helps lure nearly 10 million tourists to the island on an annual basis. Those visitors inject more than $20 billion into the local economy each year, but they are also responsible for some well-documented strife due to the tenuous nature of their relationship with people who are native to the state.
One of the biggest points of contention stems from outsiders who treat the islands like their own personal playground and actively harm an ecosystem that boasts hundreds of threatened and endangered species. That includes the approximately 1,600 monk seals that call the region home, which are protected by multiple federal laws designed to help boost their population.
Earlier this month, a tourist from Washington state managed to cause a stir after trying to drill one of them with a rock, and he is now facing jail time and big fines he claimed he’d have no problem paying after being arrested.
A tourist who threw a rock at a monk seal in Hawaii was arrested on federal charges
Last week, there was a bit of an uproar in Maui after a video that was filmed at a beach in Lahaina known as “Shark Pit” captured a man throwing a rock at a monk seal that has been dubbed “Lani.” He was chastised by a local who caught him on camera and reportedly shrugged off the threat of a potential fine by saying he was “rich enough to pay.”
Local police and multiple environmental agencies responded to the incident that led to the 37-year-old suspect being detained near the scene after someone at the beach doled out some frontier justice as he was attempting to leave, and Maui Mayor Richard Bissen promised he would be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to a statement that was released by the United States Attorney representing the District of Hawaii, the rock-thrower in question was Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk of Covington, Washington, who has been charged with “harassing and attempting to harass an endangered monk seal.”
Those two charges each carry a potential sentence of up to one year in prison, and Lytvynchuk could have the opportunity to prove he can pay sizable fines when you consider he could be forced to fork over $50,000 for violating the Endangered Species Act and another $20,000 thanks to the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
If you’re curious about Lani’s status, she seems to be doing fine, as she was examined in the immediate wake of the incident and was filmed chilling on the beach over the weekend.