Federal charges after tourist throws rock at endangered Hawaiian monk seal
A 38-year-old Washington man, Igor Lytvynchuk, was arrested near Seattle and charged with harassing a protected Hawaiian monk seal after witnesses said he threw a coconut-sized rock at 'Lani' on a Maui beach; NOAA agents say he could face up to a year in prison per count and fines up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act; Maui officials say cruelty toward wildlife won’t be tolerated as the monk seal population hovers around 1,600.
