UMVA has learned that a Washington man accused of hurling a rock at a Hawaiian monk seal is now facing a torrent of threats and personal information being exposed online.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the 38‑year‑old resident of Covington, Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, became the focus of worldwide outrage after a video showed a stone striking the head of the endangered seal as it swam near Maui’s shoreline.
The video ignited a firestorm of anger, prompting activists and strangers alike to flood the suspect’s family with hostile messages and to publish his personal details, a practice known as “doxxing.”
Lytvynchuk’s attorney, Myles Breiner, insists his client never intended to harm the animal, emphasizing that the act was not a deliberate attack but a reckless mistake.
Federal prosecutors have charged the man with harassing and attempting to harass a protected species, offenses that carry up to one year in prison per count, a $50,000 fine under the Endangered Species Act, and an additional $20,000 penalty under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The case is slated for a hearing this Wednesday, and the defendant remains in custody after being arrested in the Seattle area on May 13.
Monk seals, teetering on the brink of extinction with fewer than 1,600 individuals left, have become an emblem of vulnerability, intensifying public fury over any perceived threat to their survival.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the legal battle now intertwines with a broader conversation about wildlife protection, digital harassment, and the power of viral media to shape justice.
