(ORDO NEWS) — A married couple from Louisiana was vacationing on one of the Hawaiian islands and noticed a seal on the shore. They decided to pet the sea animal, but at the same time they did not even suspect that the seal was under protection.
Now the newlyweds will have to pay a fine for what they did. Reported by the Associated Press.
The girl shot a video in which she touched a huge seal with her hand and posted it on social networks. It is worth noting that the animal tried to bite her, but the heroine of the video managed to jump aside.
Some time after that, representatives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote to her. They warned the girl that she would have to pay a decent fine for touching the seal.
The animal that the newlyweds came across belongs to a very rare species of Hawaiian seals. Today there are very few of them left, so they are under the protection of the state.
Hawaii state law provides for a huge fine, which can be as much as $ 50,000. If the fine is not paid, a criminal penalty follows. For touching a monk seal, you can go to jail for five years.
The couple, in turn, began to apologize for this act of theirs. The newlyweds added that they had no idea that it was strictly forbidden to touch these animals.
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