Tourist Arrested After Hitting Monk Seal, Declaring “I’m Rich”
A tourist, Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, has been arrested by federal agents near Seattle on charges of harassing an endangered Hawaiian monk seal. The incident, captured on video by a witness in Maui, showed Lytvynchuk throwing a coconut-sized rock at a seal named “Lani.” The rock narrowly missed the animal, causing it to change its behavior, and the man reportedly stated he was “rich” enough to pay any fines. Maui’s mayor emphasized that such cruelty towards protected wildlife will not be tolerated, particularly given Lani’s significance to the community.
John Q. Hosedrinker