A tourist who was filmed throwing a rock at a seal in Hawaii has attempted to justify his actions.
The man, who was confronted by locals after he was caught throwing the rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, has also been charged by US federal authorities over the attack.
Now, Igor Lytvynchuk, 38, has attempted to justify his actions, saying he was only trying to protect a pair of turtles.
“There were two large turtles in the water. When he threw the rock, the intention was to scare the seal away. He had no idea, again, the significance of monk seals. He frankly didn’t know we had seals in Hawaii,” the man’s defence lawyer, Myles Breiner, told Hawaii News Now.
“He assumed that when he saw the seal, the monk seal, pushing the turtles off of the rocks, that he was doing something good by scaring it away,” Breiner added.
Breiner added that his client was a fisherman and had previously dealt with sea lions being aggressive and reportedly assumed he was helping the turtles by scaring the seal away.
The Seattle-based tourist went viral earlier this month when he was filmed throwing a big rock at the monk seal on Lahaina beach on May 5.
A witness described the rock as being the size of a coconut. It narrowly missed the seal’s nose and footage shows the seal, affectionately known by locals as Lani, being startled as the rock hits the water right in front of its head.
Locals took matters into their own hands and accosted Lytvynchuk, but authorities have also charged him with disturbing or harassing an endangered animal.
If found guilty, he could face up to one year in prison and a US$50,000 ($85,600) fine.
When confronted by a witness about what he had done, the man reportedly told them he “did not care” as he was “rich enough to pay the fines”.
His defence lawyer said Lytvynchuk is not actually wealthy and said the comments were made in the heat of the moment.
“It comes off sounding like he’s bragging or being arrogant. OK, and that was possibly in response to people yelling at him and he was embarrassed, so he doubled down,” Breiner said.
Lytvynchuk was arrested in his home state of Washington, about a week after the incident and charged under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered, with only 1600 remaining in the wild, their numbers vastly reduced following the devastating 2023 wildfires in Hawaii. When Lani survived the fires and reappeared on the shores, she became a symbol of healing and resilience for the local community.
“The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity. We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular endangered Hawaiian monk seals, like Lani,” said US Attorney Ken Sorenson.
“We pledge that those who harass and attempt to harm our protected wildlife will face rapid accountability in federal court.”
Lytvynchuk’s next court appearance is set for May 27.
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