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Young World
Difficult choice
COMPILED BY R.KRITHIKA
Endangered: Hawaiian monk seals.
Scientists trying to protect the endangered Hawaiian monk seals face a difficult choice. In order to ensure the survival of one species, Hawaiian monk seals, they have to kill another, namely the Galapagos sharks. Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) propose to cull out 10 sharks from the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, where about 140 seals have been killed in the last decade. Though a similar proposal was approved last ye
ar, the sharks were not killed. George Antonelis, protected-species division chief for NOAA’s Pacific Islands Region, has said that they will target only aggressive sharks that attack nursing seal pups. Others argue that the seals are endangered while the sharks are not. Those against the proposal point out that the fishing methods for sharks might endanger the seals too and also that killing a few sharks will not help. Other methods to help the seals survive include capturing underweight pups and caring for them in captivity and researches into the food and other habits of the seals.
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