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Hawaiian Island to Evict Over-Friendly Seal

Scientists fear monk seal pup raised by people will harm his human playmates
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 15, 2009 4:29 AM CDT

A seal pup that loves human company is facing deportation to hundreds of miles away from his Hawaiian home, the Wall Street Journal reports. Baby monk seal KP2, who often swims with people and even climbs on boogie boards, has become a much-loved local celebrity on Molokai since he showed up in February but wildlife experts warn that as he grows bigger, he may end up accidentally killing somebody by playing too rough and holding them underwater.

The problem, experts say, is that KP2, who was hand-reared by humans after being rejected by his mother, doesn't seem to realize that he's a seal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to move him around 200 miles away, although he soon found his way back to Molokai after an earlier effort  to remove him, and many want him to stay. "If they take him away one more time and he comes back, I don't think this community will let NOAA take him again," says the head of a local center that teaches children about Hawaii's ecology.
(More seal stories.)

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