you have this animal that comes in and
maybe changing people’s lives forever
and not great information and so it’s
kind of like throwing a match into that
powder keg in the last decade we’ve had
seals that have returned after thousands
of years away to the main Hawaiian
Islands and so 20 years ago there was
maybe 15 animals 20 animals and now
there’s 200 and still growing the
complication with that is that they’re
now you know flipper to foot with all
the humans that are done it we’ve had a
pregnant adult female that was shot
we’ve had seals killed with you know
rocks to the head and clubbing ‘s and
the like and there’s no doubt killings
that are happening that we’re not aware
though started happening relatively
recently while these tensions were
really starting to escalate you know
there are people that are trying to make
a living people are trying to bring food
home to their families and and so there
are some understandable concerns about
what impacts monk seals might have on
that people worried about being able to
develop industry because now their seals
around and so all commercial tourism and
businesses are going to be shut down is
this making thou the fishing man’s mad
they gonna kill all our fish in his area
I guess if they take the fish model or
kill them and eat on me I mean they’re
gonna be there every time they’re gonna
be taking your fish all the time you
said on that and if you said the net and
you catch one out in you you get in
trouble instead of saying otters a monk
seal let’s go I’m gonna get the monk
seal you know the story now is I don’t
know a monk seal he came and he took the
fish from my neck and he’s chasing away
all of fish you know what’s going on
with this monk seal so it’s it’s more of
a slightly negative relationship most of
those people are just grabbing on to any
source of information and that’s the
best that they have right now we’ve
heard on the more extreme and monk seals
are eating 600 pounds of fish a day
so the largest monks who you’re ever
going to see is 600 pounds so there’s
very few animals that eat there their
weight and fish in a day so it’s a
physical impossibility but sitting
across a table and telling someone that
why should they believe me I’m on the
government we knew if we could show the
truth through the seals perspective
using National Geographic critter cams
that we could change people’s minds the
critter cam is a tiny waterproof
instrument that you put on the back of
the seal or other animal that you’re
interested in that allows you to capture
the hidden behaviors of the animal even
though we only have collected 50 hours
or so footage it’s blowing a lot of
these misconceptions that exist out of
the water we’re seeing lots of fish
being passed up I mean thousands of fish
being passed up the estimate of amongst
the elite 600 pounds of fish in a day
based on what we know about monk seals
that would require them to eat one one
pound fish every 45 seconds and you will
see 15 2014 it’s go by before a monk
seal eats anything it’s going to be very
easy for the naysayer to stand up and
say you’re lying you’re only showing us
the stuff that’s favorable for seals so
this guy said you want to be transparent
give the data to our students give the
data to our children and let them see it
and let them study it and then that way
when you’re at a public meeting and
someone stands up and says you’re lying
to us these kids their own community can
send them and say no we watch this all
and what they’re showing you is really
the most informative or the best stuff
that there’s out there some of them have
become so fiercely passionate about this
topic some of them are almost livid with
the fact that there is this these
misunderstandings out there and they’ve
gone out there and they’ve tried to get
people to understand and they’ve talked
to their family they’ve gone out and
interviewed the public to find out what
misconceptions are out there
and it’s really galvanizing at least in
the groups that we’ve worked with this
desire to protect and to share this
information already with these
discoveries it’s raining everybody in
toward the center a little bit you know
and it’s hopefully going to shift some
of the more extreme perspectives I’m
thinking this thing is going to work you
know we’ve got some good scientists
working on this thing and they’re you
know they’re determined to try and
figure out how to work with their
communities it’s a good thing and it’s
the right thing okay I’m Travis by the
way yeah why don’t like to meet you our
intent is not to make people love seals
what we’re trying to do is get the truth
out there we are the people that are now
here to try to go out and inspire people
to try to change people’s minds to have
access to phenomenal technologies to
solve mysteries that ultimately can mean
life or death for a species it’s nice to
wake up in the morning and feel that
what you’re doing is going to be
meaningful
you
maybe changing people’s lives forever
and not great information and so it’s
kind of like throwing a match into that
powder keg in the last decade we’ve had
seals that have returned after thousands
of years away to the main Hawaiian
Islands and so 20 years ago there was
maybe 15 animals 20 animals and now
there’s 200 and still growing the
complication with that is that they’re
now you know flipper to foot with all
the humans that are done it we’ve had a
pregnant adult female that was shot
we’ve had seals killed with you know
rocks to the head and clubbing ‘s and
the like and there’s no doubt killings
that are happening that we’re not aware
though started happening relatively
recently while these tensions were
really starting to escalate you know
there are people that are trying to make
a living people are trying to bring food
home to their families and and so there
are some understandable concerns about
what impacts monk seals might have on
that people worried about being able to
develop industry because now their seals
around and so all commercial tourism and
businesses are going to be shut down is
this making thou the fishing man’s mad
they gonna kill all our fish in his area
I guess if they take the fish model or
kill them and eat on me I mean they’re
gonna be there every time they’re gonna
be taking your fish all the time you
said on that and if you said the net and
you catch one out in you you get in
trouble instead of saying otters a monk
seal let’s go I’m gonna get the monk
seal you know the story now is I don’t
know a monk seal he came and he took the
fish from my neck and he’s chasing away
all of fish you know what’s going on
with this monk seal so it’s it’s more of
a slightly negative relationship most of
those people are just grabbing on to any
source of information and that’s the
best that they have right now we’ve
heard on the more extreme and monk seals
are eating 600 pounds of fish a day
so the largest monks who you’re ever
going to see is 600 pounds so there’s
very few animals that eat there their
weight and fish in a day so it’s a
physical impossibility but sitting
across a table and telling someone that
why should they believe me I’m on the
government we knew if we could show the
truth through the seals perspective
using National Geographic critter cams
that we could change people’s minds the
critter cam is a tiny waterproof
instrument that you put on the back of
the seal or other animal that you’re
interested in that allows you to capture
the hidden behaviors of the animal even
though we only have collected 50 hours
or so footage it’s blowing a lot of
these misconceptions that exist out of
the water we’re seeing lots of fish
being passed up I mean thousands of fish
being passed up the estimate of amongst
the elite 600 pounds of fish in a day
based on what we know about monk seals
that would require them to eat one one
pound fish every 45 seconds and you will
see 15 2014 it’s go by before a monk
seal eats anything it’s going to be very
easy for the naysayer to stand up and
say you’re lying you’re only showing us
the stuff that’s favorable for seals so
this guy said you want to be transparent
give the data to our students give the
data to our children and let them see it
and let them study it and then that way
when you’re at a public meeting and
someone stands up and says you’re lying
to us these kids their own community can
send them and say no we watch this all
and what they’re showing you is really
the most informative or the best stuff
that there’s out there some of them have
become so fiercely passionate about this
topic some of them are almost livid with
the fact that there is this these
misunderstandings out there and they’ve
gone out there and they’ve tried to get
people to understand and they’ve talked
to their family they’ve gone out and
interviewed the public to find out what
misconceptions are out there
and it’s really galvanizing at least in
the groups that we’ve worked with this
desire to protect and to share this
information already with these
discoveries it’s raining everybody in
toward the center a little bit you know
and it’s hopefully going to shift some
of the more extreme perspectives I’m
thinking this thing is going to work you
know we’ve got some good scientists
working on this thing and they’re you
know they’re determined to try and
figure out how to work with their
communities it’s a good thing and it’s
the right thing okay I’m Travis by the
way yeah why don’t like to meet you our
intent is not to make people love seals
what we’re trying to do is get the truth
out there we are the people that are now
here to try to go out and inspire people
to try to change people’s minds to have
access to phenomenal technologies to
solve mysteries that ultimately can mean
life or death for a species it’s nice to
wake up in the morning and feel that
what you’re doing is going to be
meaningful
you
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