Tourist Says He Threw Rock At Hawaii Monk Seal To “Protect Turtles” But Prosecutors Aren’t Buying It

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]38-year-old Igor Mikhailovich Litvinchuks is facing charges after prosecutors say he threw a large rock toward an endangered Hawaiian monk seal on a beach in Lahaina, Maui. But his lawyer says this was not an attack. The defense claims Igor thought the seal was going after turtles and believed he was helping by scaring it away. His attorney also says Igor did not know Hawaii had monk seals or that they were federally protected. Now the defense is pointing to claims that he was allegedly beaten up after the incident, almost like public outrage may have punished him before court did. Officials say the seal was resting on the beach and Hawaiian monk seals are protected animals that people are supposed to stay far away from. So, what do you think? Was this a tourist making a bad mistake or is that turtle story hard to believe?