"This report documents the progression of an eye disease that afflicted a group of twelve Hawaiian monk seal pups collected in 1995 as part of a broader program of National Marine Fisheries Service research directed at the recovery of this highly endangered species. The intent was to capture underweight monk seal pups, rehabilitate them in captivity, and ultimately release the animals back to the wild. Shortly after their collection, however, this group of seal pups began to manifest an eye disease. The progression of the disease was carefully documented through regular clinical observations over a period of 30 months. The etiology of the ocular disease was never conclusively determined, however, and as a result, the clinical observations have remained unpublished"--Foreword.

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

Hawaii