The Hawaiian Monk Seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) is an extremely rare animal. It is a critically endangered species with only about 1100 left. Fortunately, about two months ago, a monk seal pup was born on the North Shore of Oahu. Her name is Ola Loa which means „Long Life”. Hopefully, she will live up to her name. During the last two months, I spent a lot of time with Ola and her mother, Honey Girl and luckily, I was able to document the first „steps” in the life of a rare animal. Here is a gallery of a monk seal’s first eight weeks.

Gear: Canon EOS 7D, Canon 300mm F/4 lens, Canon 1.4x extender, Manfrotto tripod