Washington Man Charged with Throwing Rock at Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal

Federal agents arrested a Washington tourist Wednesday after a witness recorded him throwing a coconut-sized rock at Lani, an endangered Hawaiian monk seal off a Maui beach.

Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, faces charges of harassing a protected animal, the U.S. attorney's office in Honolulu announced. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration special agents took him into custody near Seattle. He was set to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday.

The court docket listed no attorney for Lytvynchuk. A person answering a phone number linked to him declined to comment.

A state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer last week probed a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, the Maui community devastated by a deadly 2023 wildfire. A witness shared cellphone video with the officer showing the seal in shallow water as a man observed from shore.

Prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that the video captured the man gripping a large rock in one hand, taking aim and hurling it straight at the monk seal. The rock just missed the seal's head but made the animal suddenly change its behavior.

When confronted by the witness, the man replied that he did not care and was rich enough to cover any fines, according to the complaint.

Maui resident Kaylee Schnitzer, 18, told Hawaii News Now she saw the incident while photographing nearby. "What he was picking up was like a rock the size of a coconut," she said. "It wasn't no small rock. It was the size of a coconut. And he threw it right, directly aiming towards the monk seal's head."

Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the charges deliver a clear message against cruelty to protected wildlife. Lani's return after the wildfires offered healing and hope in tough times, he added.

"Lani is a reminder that humanity and the instinct to protect what is vulnerable are still values people can unite around," Bissen said in an emailed statement.

The mayor said he contacted the U.S. attorney in Honolulu to push for prosecution.

Lytvynchuk faces charges of harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal.

Only 1,600 Hawaiian monk seals remain in the wild, a critically endangered species.

"The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii's special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity," U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a statement. "We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular, endangered Hawaiian monk seals."

Conviction on each charge carries up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act and up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.