An Alabama man must pay $1,500 for touching a Hawaiian monk seal then posting a video on social media.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the man recorded the video while vacationing in Kauai last year, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. He was tracked down through the Instagram post with the hashtag #monkseals, which showed him walking up to the sleeping animal and then stroking it with his hand. The startled seal turns towards the man before he runs away.
The video shows the images cutting away to a sign urging beachgoers to avoid wildlife.
Further investigation found another video of the man, who was not named, aggressively pursuing a sea turtle while snorkeling in another Hawaiian location, a violation of the Endangered Species Act.
With a population of about 1,400 remaining in the wild, Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. All species of sea turtles in U.S. waters are listed as either threatened or endangered.
NOAA's guidelines urge people to view protected wildlife responsibly and stay back 10 feet from sea turtles, 50 feet from seals, 50 yards from dolphins and 100 yards from humpback whales.