Are there legally enforceable rules about how close people can get to the Hawaiian monk seal and her pup on Kaimana Beach in Waikiki? What laws protect the seals from harm? How was the name for the month-old pup selected?

Those are among the hundreds of questions Civil Beat has received from people who’ve seen the monk seals in person or viewed them on our Facebook livestream since the mom, Rocky, gave birth to the pup, Kaimana, on the beach in late June.

We asked Jon Gelman, president of Hawaii Marine Animal Response, the volunteers in the blue t-shirts who are on the beach daily ensuring the seals aren’t disturbed, to answer some of your questions.