{"id":795266,"date":"2026-05-14T06:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/795266\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T06:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T06:53:19","slug":"hawaii-lani-monk-seal-us-agents-arrest-tourist-after-video-shows-a-rock-hurled-at-endangered-animal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/795266\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawaii \u2018Lani\u2019 monk seal: US agents arrest tourist after video shows a rock hurled at endangered animal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Honolulu, HawaiiAP\u00a0\u2014\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

\n A tourist who drew widespread condemnation in Hawaii after a witness recorded him chucking a coconut-sized rock at \u201cLani,\u201d a beloved, endangered Hawaiian monk seal off a Maui beach, was arrested Wednesday by federal agents.\n <\/p>\n

\n Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is charged with harassing a protected animal, the US attorney\u2019s office in Honolulu said<\/a>, adding that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration special agents arrested him near Seattle. He was scheduled to appear in US District Court in Seattle on Thursday.\n <\/p>\n

\n The court docket didn\u2019t list an attorney, and a person who answered the phone at a number associated with Lytvynchuk declined to comment.\n <\/p>\n

\n A state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer last week investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, the community that was largely destroyed by a deadly wildfire in 2023<\/a>. A witness showed the officer video of the seal swimming in shallow water while a man watched from shore.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIn the cellphone video, the man can be seen holding a large rock with one hand, aiming, and throwing it directly at the monk seal,\u201d prosecutors said a criminal complaint. The rock, described by a witness as the size of a coconut, narrowly missed the seal\u2019s head, but caused the \u201canimal to abruptly alter its behavior,\u201d the complaint said.\n <\/p>\n

\n When a witness confronted the man, he said \u201che did not care and was \u2018rich\u2019 enough to pay any fines,\u201d the complaint said.\n <\/p>\n

\"Richard<\/p>\n

\n Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said<\/a> the charges send a clear message that cruelty toward protected wildlife won\u2019t be tolerated. Lani\u2019s return after the wildfires brought a sense of healing and hope during a difficult time, he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cLani is a reminder that humanity and the instinct to protect what is vulnerable are still values people can unite around,\u201d Bissen said in an emailed statement.\n <\/p>\n

\n The mayor said he called the US attorney in Honolulu to advocate for prosecution.\n <\/p>\n

\n Lytvynchuk is charged with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal.\n <\/p>\n

\n Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. Only 1,600 remain in the wild.\n <\/p>\n

\n If convicted, Lytvynchuk, 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.\n <\/p>\n