HONOLULU — A tourist sparked widespread condemnation in Hawaii after a witness recorded him throwing a coconut-sized rock at a lani, a beloved and endangered animal. Hawaiian monk seal Off the coast of Maui, he was arrested Wednesday by federal agents.
Igor Mikhailovich Litvinchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is charged with harassment of a protected animal, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Honolulu said, adding that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration special agents arrested him near Seattle. He is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday.
The court docket did not include the name of the lawyer, and a person who answered the phone at a number associated with Litvinchuk declined to comment.
A state Department of Land and Natural Resources official last week investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, a community that has been largely devastated by Deadly wildfires in 2023. A witness showed the officer a video of the seal swimming in the shallow water while a man watched from shore.
“In the cellphone video, the man can be seen holding a large rock in one hand, aiming it, and throwing it directly at the monk seal,” prosecutors said in a criminal complaint. The rock, which one witness described as the size of a coconut, narrowly missed the seal’s head but caused the animal to “suddenly change its behavior,” the complaint said.
When a witness confronted the man, he said, “He didn’t care and was wealthy enough to pay any fines,” the complaint states.
Maui Mayor Richard Bessen said the charges send a clear message that cruelty toward protected wildlife will not be tolerated. He said Lani’s return after the bushfires brought a sense of healing and hope during a difficult time.
“Lani serves as a reminder that humanity and the instinct to protect the vulnerable are still values around which people can unite,” Bissen said in an email statement.
The city’s mayor said he contacted the U.S. attorney in Honolulu to call for prosecution.
Litvinchuk was charged with harassment and attempted harassment of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal.
The Hawaiian monk seal is considered an endangered species. Only 1,600 remain in the wild.
If convicted, Litvinchuk faces up to one year in prison on each count. He also faces a fine of up to $50,000 under the Endangered Species Act, and a fine of up to $20,000 under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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Associated Press writer Audrey McAvoy contributed to this report.