{"id":3678,"date":"2026-05-27T17:40:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/27\/tourist-accused-of-hurling-rock-at-endangered-hawaiian-seal-was-trying-to-protect-sea-turtles-lawyer-says\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T17:40:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:40:46","slug":"tourist-accused-of-hurling-rock-at-endangered-hawaiian-seal-was-trying-to-protect-sea-turtles-lawyer-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=3678","title":{"rendered":"Tourist accused of hurling rock at endangered Hawaiian seal was trying to protect sea turtles, lawyer says"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"53342951-fc73-4381-8739-24e30414d28c\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a monk seal rests on a beach\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/3adc1b95ed873973f7ab3937218fc089e38c0fea\/0_0_4896_3672\/master\/4896.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"348.75\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Hawaiian monk seals are one of the world\u2019s most critically endangered marine mammals as they continue to face a wide range of human-driven threats.<\/span> Photograph: NOAA\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"53342951-fc73-4381-8739-24e30414d28c\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Hawaiian monk seals are one of the world\u2019s most critically endangered marine mammals as they continue to face a wide range of human-driven threats.<\/span> Photograph: NOAA\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Tourist accused of hurling rock at endangered Hawaiian seal was trying to protect sea turtles, lawyer says<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Igor Lytvynchuk is scheduled to appear in court on charges of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2026\/feb\/17\/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The lawyer for a tourist accused of hurling a rock at an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/endangeredspecies\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">endangered<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/hawaii\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Hawaiian<\/a> monk seal says his client was trying to protect sea turtles and has since been assaulted, threatened and doxed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Igor Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/washington-state\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Washington<\/a>, is scheduled to appear in court in Honolulu on Wednesday on charges of harassing and attempting to harass a protected animal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Earlier this month, a witness recorded what prosecutors say was a video of Lytvynchuk throwing the rock at a Hawaiian monk seal at a Maui beach. He later made arrangements to surrender in the Seattle area as special agents with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) were seeking to arrest him, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"13111798-b301-4342-a6b6-e9ca59301ddc\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-ak3j0c\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/marine-heatwave-west-coast\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">Why an immense marine heatwave off the US west coast has alarmed scientists<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The video drew widespread condemnation and demands for prosecution in Hawaii, including from Maui\u2019s mayor, Richard Bissen. Scientists identified the seal as an adult male known as R404, according to Noaa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In a separate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/countyofmaui\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=a27d4ff6-f800-4a8a-ad1c-5dea1369dceb\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">video statement<\/a>, the mayor said the monk seal was \u201cnot just a seal to us \u2026 [but a] part of our ocean \u2018ohana in Lahaina\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cMany of our residents know her, watch over her and care deeply about her wellbeing. In fact, members of my team in Lahaina have been tracking and looking out for her for some time now,\u201d Bissen said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He called Lytvynchuk\u2019s alleged behavior \u201cunacceptable\u201d, saying: \u201cAs mayor, I not only have a responsibility to protect the people of Maui county, but also the wildlife animals that share these islands with us. Our connection to the ocean, the land and the creatures that call Hawaii home is part of who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">According to prosecutors, a state department of land and natural resources officer investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, the community that was largely destroyed by a deadly wildfire in 2023. A witness showed the officer a video of the seal swimming in shallow water when Lytvynchuk threw the rock, described by a witness as the size of a coconut, directly at the seal, narrowly missing its head, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">When a witness confronted Lytvynchuk, he said \u201che did not care and was \u2018rich\u2019 enough to pay any fines\u201d, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Afterward, a man \u201cbrutally assaulted\u201d Lytvynchuk, his attorney, Myles Breiner, told the Associated Press. Lytvynchuk declined to file a police report on the assault, the attorney said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Breiner explained his client had been to Hawaii previously and was familiar with sea turtles, but not Hawaiian monk seals. Lytvynchuk is a fisher and thought the seal was an aggressive sea lion, the lawyer said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cSo his response was not to hurt this monk seal, but to get it away from the turtles,\u201d Breiner said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The incident shows Noaa must do more to educate the public about protecting Hawaiian monk seals, said Brian Schatz, the US senator for Hawaii, in a statement.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-ri3hap\"><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Since the video surfaced, Lytvynchuk has faced death threats and doxing, including receiving a package at his home containing what appeared to be feces, Breiner said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He said his client was being treated unfairly because he was a white outsider. \u201cThe vast majority of attacks on monk seal and turtle are by locals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Known in ancient Hawaiian as \u201c\u02bb\u012blio holo i ka uaua\u201d, meaning \u201cdog that runs in rough water\u201d, the seals are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. They typically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/animal-care\/learn-about-marine-mammals\/pinnipeds\/hawaiian-monk-seal?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=1058122685&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADylIpvz-E5LVrU9ZoQs1s_2lqa-i&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwrNrQBhBjEiwAoR4VOyrZqBK6hir2uTOiNsLadtgg-ARknx-091b9J6-Vvy3IAZkdSpAe6BoC4DUQAvD_BwE\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">hunt<\/a> for food beyond the immediate shoreline, diving in waters between 60 and 300ft deep in search of fish, octopus and crustaceans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Hawaiian monk seals were hunted to the brink of extinction during the 19th century. One of the world\u2019s most critically endangered marine mammals, they continue to face a wide range of human-driven threats, including habitat loss caused by coastal development, pollution and rising sea levels linked to the climate crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">They are also vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear such as hooks and commercial nets, while diseases associated with inland water runoff further threaten their survival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Lytvynchuk is charged with violations of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">If convicted, he faces up to one year in prison for each charge. He also faces a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US news<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/hawaii\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Hawaii<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/endangeredspecies\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Endangered species<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/animals\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Animals<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/environment\/wildlife\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Wildlife<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Tourist%20accused%20of%20hurling%20rock%20at%20endangered%20Hawaiian%20seal%20was%20trying%20to%20protect%20sea%20turtles,%20lawyer%20says&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/27\/igor-lytvynchuk-rock-hawaiian-monk-seal?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F27%2Figor-lytvynchuk-rock-hawaiian-monk-seal&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/27\/igor-lytvynchuk-rock-hawaiian-monk-seal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hawaiian monk seals are one of the world\u2019s most critically endangered marine mammals as they continue to face<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3680,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}