QUESTION: Can you give us an update on the monk seal KP2, who was sent to California for cataract surgery? Last we heard, he was getting ready to go the mainland. Did he? How is he? When will he come home?

ANSWER: The Hawaiian monk seal did leave Hawaii in November and is said to be “;doing very well … is healthy and gaining weight”; at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

However, Ho'ailona (the Hawaiian name for the little seal better known by his scientific tag, KP2) has not had cataract surgery, according to a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Depending on his condition, cataract surgery might not be performed.

“;He is currently being evaluated and treated by leading marine mammal veterinarians and ophthalmologists, and the experts are currently determining whether or not his eye condition can be treated,”; the NOAA spokeswoman said. “;Surgery has not been scheduled, but remains an option, depending on the results of ongoing evaluation.”;

She said he is under the care of several marine mammal scientists and veterinarians and was reported eating tilapia, herring and mackerel.

“;Ho'ailona continues to a show a great deal of curiosity to any new object he is given and exhibits a very playful attitude,”; she said.

According to a NOAA Web site about KP2, http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/kp2.htm, he is under quarantine to minimize his risk for disease or infection.

In addition to being evaluated for his cataracts, he will be subject to “;a series of diagnostic tests and procedures, which will help determine his health condition and provide important information that can be used to help monk seals in the wild.”;

He was not kept in Hawaii because of the lack of facilities for long-term care or study of monk seals undergoing rehabilitation, according to NOAA.

Once the treatment and research at UC Santa Cruz are completed, the plan is to return him to Hawaii to stay at a public display facility.

However, “;the existing marine mammal public display facilities in Hawaii are not presently equipped to provide the type of care that Ho'ailona needs,”; she said. “;Plans are under way to develop such a facility in Hawaii in the near future.”;

No information was available as to where that facility might be or how soon it could be built.

Worldwide, monk seals are a critically endangered species.

Only about 1,100 Hawaiian monk seals, found in the Northwestern and main Hawaiian Islands, are left, while only about 500 Mediterranean monk seals, found in the western Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean, remain, NOAA said.

The Caribbean monk seal is extinct.

QUESTION: I am seeking to make contact with my brother, whom I have not seen in over 30 years. His name is Matthew J. Fitzsimmons and my name is Leilani. When I got married and left Hawaii in the early 1970s, my brother was living on Oahu and owned, or leased, a camera shop in Pearlridge Center. Can you please bring this letter to his attention? Matthew, if you read this, contact the Star-Bulletin for my phone number. I miss you so very much.

ANSWER: If Matthew or anyone who knows him contacts Kokua Line, we will pass on Leilani's phone number. Call 529-4773 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Write to “;Kokua Line”; at Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).