A three-month-old Hawaiian monk seal pup was found dead in a fishing net off Oʻahu's North Shore, a blow to one of the world's most endangered seal species.

• The pup, born in late April, was tangled in an unattended fishing net just offshore at a North Shore beach park.
• A necropsy will check whether anything besides the net contributed to its death.
• A separate monk seal death in May, a year-old animal found on the same coast, was caused by toxoplasmosis.
• Toxoplasmosis, a parasite spread through cat feces, is one of the leading killers of monk seals in the main Hawaiian islands.

Outlook: Wildlife officials will keep pressing beachgoers to remove nets and gear, as human hazards and disease continue to threaten the fragile monk seal population.