Hawaiian Monk Seal molt (1)

Here's the seal I helped look after last Sunday. (I use the term "help" loosely. It was me and the boys alone with her for about an hour, then two other seasoned volunteers came by and handled the real work as more beach goers came out!) She is molting, or in the process of shedding her coat. This seal is about 2 years old and going through her first molt. From what I understand, seals molt multiple times over their lifetimes.
They are not more susceptible to disease during the molt, but it's a tiring process for them, so a typical seal will stay in the same general area (sleep in the same or nearby spot on an open beach for a week or two) and it is important that they are left alone. When seals molt on popular beaches, volunteers are posted near the seals until sunset, at least on the weekends. She started her molt in Ewa, then made her way west to Nimitz, where she finished her molt. I think in the picture below her molt is roughly 50%. Her new coat is peeking through and you can see how great she will look when she's clear of the old, dirty coat. It sounds silly, but the words "Shiny and clean! Shiny and clean!" kept running through my head. It's from a cartoon or a movie the boys watch...it's bugging me that I can't think of which one right now.
You can't make it out in the picture, but one of the posted signs reads: "Shhhh! Monk Seal sleeping. Quiet please!" I was talking to another volunteer when Robbie runs up to me with an iPod in his hand. Earlier in the week, I'd downloaded the free Vuvuzela app (yes, for fun!). In front of the ropes, he starts playing with the app, which makes the horn sound. Luckily, it could barely be heard over the sound of the waves and the wind. I was able to get him to understand not to talk loudly around the seal, what didn't translate was also not to play with loud, obnoxious iPod games. Oops.