Man arrested after throwing rock at endangered seal in Hawaii & taunting locals

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A 38-year-old man from Seattle, Washington, was arrested in Hawaii after throwing a rock at an endangered monk seal, sparking widespread criticism.

So, I was reading about this crazy thing that happened back on May 6th in Lahaina, Hawaii. Apparently, some guy just straight-up threw a rock at a monk seal – and these seals are endangered! Witnesses said he didn’t even seem to care, bragging that he was rich and wouldn’t pay any fines if he got caught. Seriously, what a jerk!

After upsetting local residents, he was attacked and then taken into custody by authorities when the state’s conservation enforcement team on Maui intervened.

After the video of him throwing the rock became popular online, Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, age 38, has been arrested.

38-year-old named over viral seal video

On Wednesday, May 13th, authorities with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration arrested Lytvynchuk near Seattle, the Department of Justice announced.

According to the Department of Justice, the 38-year-old individual is accused of harassing an endangered seal and attempting to do so. These actions break both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

If convicted, Lytvynchuk could be fined up to $50,000 for breaking the Endangered Species Act and another $20,000 for violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

He could receive up to a year in prison for each charge, and will also be subject to a period of supervised release after any potential imprisonment.

As mentioned earlier, the 38-year-old’s actions resulted in a physical assault by local residents, and Hawaii Senator Brenton Awa also intervened.

Awa stated he didn’t support the violence, but acknowledged the local people who were demonstrating the consequences of harming their land or wildlife.

After harassing an endangered seal, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen stated that Lytvynchuk is not a welcome visitor to the island.

Okay, so I was reading up on endangered animals, and it’s pretty shocking – there are only about 1600 Hawaiian monk seals left in the world! Apparently, they’re the most endangered kind of seal we have here in the US, which is just really sad to think about. It makes you want to do something to help, you know?

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2026-05-14 14:49