2026年5月14日 / 美国东部时间早上6:46 / 哥伦比亚广播公司/美联社
一名游客在夏威夷引发广泛谴责，此前有目击者拍下他在毛伊岛一处海滩向名为“拉尼”的受喜爱的濒危夏威夷僧海豹扔椰子大小石块的画面，他已于周三被联邦探员逮捕。
美国夏威夷州检察官办公室表示，来自华盛顿州卡温顿市、38岁的伊戈尔·米哈伊洛维奇·利特文丘克（Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk）被控骚扰受保护动物，美国国家海洋和大气管理局的特别探员在西雅图附近将其逮捕。他原定于周四在西雅图美国联邦地区法院出庭。
法院案卷中未列出辩护律师，而一个与利特文丘克有关联的号码的接电话者拒绝置评。
上周，夏威夷州土地与自然资源部的一名官员调查了拉海纳一起夏威夷僧海豹遭骚扰的报告。拉海纳这个社区在2023年的致命野火中大部分被摧毁。一名目击者向该官员展示了一段视频，画面中海豹在浅水中游动，一名男子在岸边观望。
美国司法部供图：伊戈尔·米哈伊洛维奇·利特文丘克被控骚扰受保护动物，美国夏威夷州检察官办公室表示。
检察官在刑事起诉书中称：“在这段手机视频中，可以看到这名男子单手拿着一块大石头，瞄准后直接朝僧海豹扔去。” 石块险些击中海豹的头部，但导致该“动物突然改变了行为”。
目击者上前质问该男子时，他称“自己不在乎，且‘有钱’可以支付任何罚款”，起诉书中写道。
18岁的毛伊岛居民凯莉·施尼策（Kaylee Schnitzer）告诉夏威夷新闻NOW网站，她当时在附近拍照，目睹了这起事件。
“他捡起的那块石头差不多有椰子那么大，”施尼策说，“不是什么小石块，就是椰子大小。他瞄准了，直接朝僧海豹的头部扔了过去。”
毛伊岛市长理查德·比森（Richard Bissen）表示，这项指控传递出明确信号：虐待受保护野生动物的行为绝不会被容忍。他说，拉尼在野火过后回归，给困难时期带来了治愈感和希望。
“拉尼提醒我们，人类保护弱者的本能仍是人们可以团结围绕的价值观，”比森在一份电子邮件声明中说道。
该市长表示，他已致电夏威夷州美国检察官，推动对该案提起公诉。
利特文丘克被控骚扰及试图骚扰濒危夏威夷僧海豹。
美国司法部供图：伊戈尔·米哈伊洛维奇·利特文丘克被控骚扰受保护动物，美国夏威夷州检察官办公室表示。
夏威夷僧海豹是极度濒危物种，目前野外仅存1600只。
“夏威夷群岛独特而珍贵的野生动物是夏威夷在全球独特地位及其惊人生物多样性的标志性象征，”美国检察官肯·索伦森（Ken Sorenson）在一份声明中说道，“我们致力于保护我们脆弱的野生物种，特别是濒危的夏威夷僧海豹。”
如果罪名成立，利特文丘克每项指控最高可被判入狱一年。根据《濒危物种法》，他还将面临最高5万美元的罚款，同时根据《海洋哺乳动物保护法》，最高可被处以2万美元罚款。
2016年，曾有人被拍到在浅水中殴打一只怀孕的夏威夷僧海豹。
Tourist accused of hurling rock at endangered Hawaii monk seal’s head is arrested by federal agents
May 14, 2026 / 6:46 AM EDT / CBS/AP
A tourist who drew widespread condemnation in Hawaii after a witness recorded him chucking a coconut-sized rock at “Lani,” a beloved, endangered Hawaiian monk seal off a Maui beach, was arrested Wednesday by federal agents.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is charged with harassing 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 was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Thursday.
The court docket didn’t list an attorney, and a person who answered the phone at a number associated with Lytvynchuk declined to comment.
A state Department of Land and Natural Resources officer last week investigated a report of Hawaiian monk seal harassment in Lahaina, the community that was largely destroyed by a deadly wildfire in 2023. A witness showed the officer video of the seal swimming in shallow water while a man watched from shore.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk is charged with harassing a protected animal, the U.S. attorney’s office in Honolulu said. Department of Justice
“In the cellphone video, the man can be seen holding a large rock with one hand, aiming, and throwing it directly at the monk seal,” prosecutors said in a criminal complaint. The rock narrowly missed the seal’s head, but caused the “animal to abruptly alter its behavior,” the complaint said.
When a witness confronted the man, he said “he did not care and was ‘rich’ enough to pay any fines,” the complaint said.
Maui resident Kaylee Schnitzer, 18, told HawaiiNewsNow she witnessed the incident while taking photos nearby.
“What he was picking up was like a rock the size of a coconut,” Schnitzer said. “It wasn’t no small rock. It was the size of a coconut. And he threw it right, directly aiming towards the monk seal’s head.”
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the charges send a clear message that cruelty toward protected wildlife won’t be tolerated. Lani’s return after the wildfires brought a sense of healing and hope during a difficult time, he said.
“Lani is a reminder that humanity and the instinct to protect what is vulnerable are still values people can unite around,” Bissen said in an emailed statement.
The mayor said he called the U.S. attorney in Honolulu to advocate for prosecution.
Lytvynchuk is charged with harassing and attempting to harass an endangered Hawaiian monk seal.
Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk is charged with harassing a protected animal, the U.S. attorney’s office in Honolulu said. Department of Justice
Hawaiian monk seals are a critically endangered species. Only 1,600 remain in the wild.
“The unique and precious wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands are renowned symbols of Hawaii’s special place in the world and its incredible biodiversity,” U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting our vulnerable wild species, in particular, endangered Hawaiian monk seals.”
If convicted, Lytvynchuk, faces up to one year in prison for each charge. 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.
In 2016, a man was seen on video appearing to beat a pregnant Hawaiian monk seal in shallow water.
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