A 7-month-old Hawaiian monk seal nursed back to health by scientists appeared to be thriving during its first week back in the wild in what officials say was a “pioneering achievement.”

The male pup, named KP2, was the youngest Hawaiian monk seal ever to be raised by scientists of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and later released successfully into the wild.

“This has never been done before. … He still has a lot to learn and a long way to go. Even though it’s only a week out, we consider this a groundbreaking success,” said David Schofield, marine mammal response coordinator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, part of NOAA.

Scientists released the pup in an undisclosed location last week and will continue monitoring it for another week.

In May, biologists rescued the pup just 24 hours after it was born and abandoned by its mother on Kauai’s North Shore.

“One of the saddest things I’ve seen in the 20 years I’ve been working with marine mammals is to see this little black monk seal pup with its little flippers stretched out with this large rock and trying to nurse from it,” Schofield recalled.

The following days were the most critical for the 30-pound pup. Biologists knew there was a great chance of the pup dying, because no one has ever successfully cared for a monk seal that young.

Dr. Gregg Levine, the chief veterinarian for the pup, said the most important thing at first was finding the right formula with enough nutrition since the pup didn’t nurse from its mother at all.

In August, when the pup was 3 months old, scientists felt it was ready to be introduced in the wild again and moved it to an ocean pen at the Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe. There, the pup learned how to eat on its own, catching live octopus, fish and crabs.

“Our focus was, once we got this animal in, was to ensure his health and safety,” Levine said. “But we also wanted to maintain a sufficient quarantine so he could be released back into the population.”

Last week, the Coast Guard transported the pup to a location in the main Hawaiian islands with other endangered monk seals. When scientists brought him to the water’s edge and opened the cage, the pup immediately took off into the water and didn’t look back.

The monk seal, which now weighs a healthy 150 pounds, has so far successfully adapted to the wild, Schofield said.

But Levine and Schofield say it’s difficult to predict the pup’s chances of survival. The real test is seeing if the pup makes it to sexual maturity, which typically occurs when it is 5 to 7 years old.

“Thinking back on how small and scrawny that little seal was, a little bag of bones, and then seeing it fat and healthy and on its way out to the wild, it’s just the best feeling in the world,” Schofield said.

He said scientists have learned valuable lessons from this monk seal - lessons that can be used to help this endangered species.

“We’re very happy for the individual,” Schofield said. “If this population continues to decline at the rate that it is, efforts like this is going to be necessary to recover the species.”

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