Attorney says tourist was protecting turtles by throwing rock at Hawaiian seal
AP News • • general
Key Points:
- Igor Lytvynchuk, a Washington state tourist, faces federal charges for allegedly throwing a coconut-sized rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal in Maui, an act captured on video and widely condemned in Hawaii.
- Lytvynchuk’s defense attorney claims he mistakenly thought the seal was an aggressive sea lion and was trying to protect sea turtles; the attorney also reports his client has been physically assaulted, threatened, and doxed since the incident.
- The incident has prompted calls for better public education on protecting Hawaiian monk seals, a critically endangered species with only about 1,600 individuals remaining in the wild.
- Lytvynchuk is charged under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, facing up to one year in prison and fines up to $70,000 if convicted.
- The case highlights tensions between local conservation efforts and visitors, with the defense arguing that most attacks on monk seals and turtles are by locals, while Lytvynchuk is being treated unfairly as an outsider.