A tourist who hurled a rock at an endangered animal in Maui is now offering a softer story to defend himself.
As he faces federal charges, Igor Lytvynchuk claimed there’s more to the story than what was captured in the viral video, which showed him throwing a coconut-sized rock at a Hawaiian monk seal.
He claimed his violent action was an attempt to save other animals.
Highlights
- Igor Lytvynchuk was captured throwing a coconut-sized rock at a Hawaiian monk seal.
- “I don’t care,” he was heard saying in the video. “Fine me. I’m rich.”
- After facing immense backlash, his lawyer claimed Igor was trying to save other animals at the time.
- He is now facing a federal charge and possible time in prison, along with a fine.
A tourist who hurled a rock at an endangered animal in Maui is offering a softer story to defend himself
Image credits: kay.schnitz
Igor Lytvynchuk, 38, was attacked by locals and slapped with federal charges for an incident that took place at a Lahaina beach on May 5.
A witness managed to record a cellphone video of the Washington state man throwing a massive rock at a Hawaiian monk seal, sparking outrage among locals and social media users.
Image credits: U.S. District Court of Hawaii
A woman on the beach was heard asking Igor why he threw the rock at the seal, affectionately called Lani among Hawaiians. And Igor’s brazen response left viewers even angrier.
“What are you doing? Why would you throw a rock at it? Hello?” the woman was heard yelling.
“I don’t care,” Igor replied. “Fine me. I’m rich.”
“I don’t care. Fine me. I’m rich,” Igor said when a woman asked him why he threw the rock
Image credits: kay.schnitz
The Department of Justice revealed that the man from Covington, Washington, was arrested near Seattle earlier this month.
The tourist is now facing a federal charge of disturbing or harassing an endangered animal and could face up to a year behind bars and a fine of $50,000 or more.
His lawyer, Myles Breiner, recently defended his client, saying Igor realizes he “made a bad decision.”
Image credits: kay.schnitz
Myles shared what he claimed was Igor’s side of the story and declared, “I want to be resoundingly clear to the public — he never intended to injure the monk seal.”
While out on the beach on May 5, Igor apparently spotted sea turtles, or honu, resting on the rocks near the shoreline and felt they needed protection.
“There were two large turtles in the water. When he threw the rock, the intention was to scare the seal away,” the lawyer claimed.
“He had no idea, again, the significance of monk seals. He frankly didn’t know we had seals in Hawaii,” he added.
A lawyer shared Igor's explanation for allegedly attacking the Hawaiian monk seal
Image credits: kay.schnitz
Igor’s intention was to scare the seal away from the honu, and “one had already been knocked off the rock by the seal,” Myles claimed.
He also claimed that his client didn’t know about Hawaiian monk seals being endangered and blamed his decision on past run-ins with aggressive sea lions while fishing in Washington state.
“Sea lions are very aggressive,” the lawyer said. “They’ll take your bait, they’ll take your fish — that’s been his experience.”
Image credits: kay.schnitz
Myles said Igor is “heartbroken” over claims that he intentionally tried to harm the seal and how he is being portrayed online.
“He recognizes he made a bad decision, but the decision wasn’t based on trying to hurt the animal,” he added.
Igor was apparently trying to save other animals, the laywer claimed
Image credits: kay.schnitz
The lawyer also touched on Igor's statement about being rich enough to pay the fines.
“That was a misinterpretation,” Myles said. “The statement was, ‘I can afford it.’”
Igor, who reportedly owns a logistics and trucking company based in Kent, Washington, plans to take responsibility for violating the law, according to the lawyer’s statements.
“He’s going to pay the price. We’re not going into court and saying no, he didn’t do this, but there’s always an explanation,” he said.
The arrested tourist was reportedly beaten up by another man over the May 5 beachside incident
Image credits: NOAA Fisheries Hawaiian monk seal research program
Myles said his client wasn’t wealthy, as his “I’m rich” comment might have suggested, but he acknowledged how it “comes off sounding like he’s bragging or being arrogant.”
“That was possibly in response to people yelling at him and he was embarrassed, so he doubled down,” he continued.
Image credits: FOX 13 Seattle
Following the alleged attack on the endangered animal, Igor was ass*ulted by another man, but won’t be pressing charges against him.
“He was beaten pretty badly. There were no broken bones, but yeah, he had welts all over his back, his head, shoulders,” he said.
When asked whether Igor was apologetic, Myles said, “Oh, absolutely. He’s devastated at the notion that people thought he wanted to injure the seal.”
The accused man is expected to appear in federal court in Honolulu on May 27.
The 2023 Maui wildfires had a significant impact on the habitat of marine life and the local ecosystem
Image credits: ABC News
The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world, and its population has been significantly declining over the last 60 years.
The devastating 2023 wildfires also largely affected Lahaina and the surrounding coastal areas, consequently impacting marine animals’ habitats and ecosystems.
Latest numbers from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Fisheries estimate the population at around 1,600 seals, with almost 1,200 in Papahānaumokuākea (the largest marine protected area in the Northern Hemisphere) and 400 in the main Hawaiian Islands.
“The internet never forgets,” one commented online
