'I Don't Care. I'm Rich': Tourist Could Face $50,000 Fine and a Year in Prison After Rock Attack on Hawaiian Monk Seal

Witness Kaylee Schnitzer, who filmed the video that has since gone viral, captured the scene firsthand. While filming, she yelled at the man, questioning why he would do such a thing. When she and other witnesses told him they had called law enforcement, the tourist reportedly shrugged them off and insinuated he was wealthy so it was no problem if he got fined.

That’s when one local (and yet-to-be-identified) man who decided to deal with the situation more directly, in a scene that was also shared on Instagram. The local confronted the tourist from Seattle, landing several punches as the Seattle man covered his head and cowered in a nearby bush. The video also spread like wildfire across social media, racking up millions of views.

Both videos triggered a firestorm of public outrage, with Maui residents demanding accountability and praising the local man. The incident is so public that the government of Hawai’i took notice — and at least one lawmaker sided with Lani the seal.

 

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On May 10 in a public session, Hawai’i state senator Brenton Awa publicly shared the video and noted “here’s what might happen if you mess with our land or our animals.” On the state senate floor, he played both videos and announced that while he doesn’t condone violence, he did make a formal letter of recognition for the anonymous man he referred to as an “Ambassador of Aloha.” He went on to jokingly announce airlines should play the video on flights to Hawaiʻi to let tourists know what may happen if they disrespect the land.

The Seattle man hasn’t been charged, but could be

Following the incident, the Department of Land and Natural Resources dispatched officers to investigate. The Seattle man was detained and questioned, but immediately asked for a lawyer, at which point he was released. Because no charges have been filed, his name has not been officially confirmed. However, he’s unofficially been identified online as Washington resident Igor Lytvynchuk.

As of May 12, the case has been handed over to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement for federal review. That’s because the man isn’t facing state charges, but federal charges. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) is a federal law, and because Hawaiian monk seals are protected under it, charges and enforcement come from a federal level. NOAA is the agency with jurisdiction to actually prosecute under the MMPA and the Endangered Species Act, which could result in more severe fine or punishment if the man is found guilty.

Following the incident, Maui mayor Richard Bissen issued a forceful statement speaking out against the tourist’s egregiously poor behavior. “As Mayor, I not only have a responsibility to protect the people of Maui County, but also the wildlife and animals that share these islands with us,” he said. “I assure you that I will see to it personally that this individual is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Why protecting monk seals is so important

While officials may be making light of the tourist receiving a bit of vigilante justice, environmentalists take the protection of Hawaiian monk seals very seriously. They’re one of the rarest marine mammals on the planet, with approximately 1,600 thought to live in the waters around Hawaiʻi. It’s known in native Hawai’ian as ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua (dog that runs in rough water), but almost didn’t survive through the 19th century. Commercial hunters came close to wiping the species out entirely in the mid-1800s, slaughtering them for skin and blubber.

Given the small size of their population, every member matters. Though hunting is no longer allowed, they’re threatened by entanglement in fishing gear, loss of beaches to rising seas, disease, predation by sharks, and dwindling food supplies driven by warming oceans. Monk seals are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act and protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Under those laws, harassing, harming, or disturbing a monk seal carries serious consequences, including fines of up to $50,000 and a year in prison. Recently, many environmental protection organizations have called for raising the maximum sentence, saying that one year of incarceration isn’t enough.

As for Lani, Mayor Bissen confirmed that she has been seen since the incident and didn’t sustain any injuries, reporting that she’s returned to regular behavior. She also has a GPS Tracker, so experts can continue to monitor her.