A tourist who was filmed throwing a rock at a beloved Hawaiian monk seal says he never intended to hurt the animal, but backlash against him just continues to grow.
Earlier this month, footage of Igor Lytvynchuk throwing a rock near a critically endangered monk seal spread rapidly online.
The incident sparked outrage, particularly after locals identified the animal as Lani, a well-known seal viewed by many as a symbol of resilience following the devastating Lahaina wildfires in 2023.
Lytvynchuk was later arrested in Seattle on May 13 and charged with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Backlash against Lytvynchuk continues
Public anger over the incident has extended far beyond social media. According to reports, Lytvynchuk has received hate mail, been doxxed and allegedly been assaulted following the viral footage.
Now, the situation has taken another disturbing turn. According to his lawyer, someone mailed him a bag of feces.
The 38-year-old, a Ukrainian-born US citizen, maintains he never intended to injure the seal.
His attorney, Rob Breiner, told Hawaii News Now that Lytvynchuk believed he was protecting nearby sea turtles when he threw the rock.
“He’s devastated at the notion that people thought he wanted to injure the seal,” Breiner said and added:
“He’s going to pay the price. We’re not going into court and saying, ‘No, he didn’t do this’ – but there’s always an explanation.”
Lawyer says Lytvynchuk misunderstood situation
According to Breiner, Lytvynchuk did not understand the significance of Hawaiian monk seals and believed he was helping.
“He had no idea of the significance of monk seals,” the attorney said.
“He assumed that he was doing something good by scaring it away.”
Breiner claimed Lytvynchuk became concerned after seeing what he believed was aggressive behavior toward nearby turtles.
“He wanted to scare the seal away from the honu he saw there,” Breiner said.
“Apparently there were two large turtles and one had already been knocked off the rock by the seal.”
The lawyer added that Lytvynchuk’s experiences around aggressive marine animals while fishing in Washington may have influenced his reaction.
“Sea lions are very aggressive. They’ll take your bait, they’ll take your fish – that’s been his experience,” Breiner said.
Despite the lawyers explanation, outrage surrounding the incident shows little sign of fading.
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