In old Hawaiʻi thousands of monk seals with sleek black coats and large glistening eyes swam in the coastal waters of Hawaiʻi’s most northern islands. When they got tired they rode the surf to the beach then rolled in the warm sand and took a nap. The Hawaiian monk seals are very shy animals. Hawaiian fishermen and mariners rarely saw the timid monk seals in southern waters. But every so often a seal would come ashore on the islands where the people lived. The Hawaiians called monk seals “’ilio ’auka” or swimming dogs. Today many people live on the islands of Oʻahu and Kauaʻi where in the old days there were lots of monk seals. There the monk seals raise their pups. And in their barking language they teach their smooth little swimmers how to fish. If you happen to be on one of the wilderness beaches of Oʻahu or Kauaʻi you might get to see a monk seal swim past very quickly like a dark shadow in the water. This Hawaiian monk seal is named Umo (oo-MOH) and he wants you to adopt him. Umo means to “bark like a seal” in the Hawaiian language. Please take good care of Umo your very own barking monk seal from the Islands of Hawaiʻi.