The pond in the Hawaiian Nature Reserve has acquired a bright pink hue

A strange change in the color of the water occurred in the Kilia Pond National Wildlife Refuge on Maui, Hawaii. Since October 30, employees of the reserve have been trying to find out the causes of this amazing phenomenon.

Local wildlife authorities are urging visitors to refrain from contact with water until a definitive explanation for this mysterious phenomenon is found.

Manager Bret Wolfe told about how one of the visitors to the beach drew her attention to something strange.

"I just got a message from someone who was walking on the beach, and they called me and said: Something strange is happening here," she shared her impression of the situation.

Currently, scientists are inclined to believe that the cause of the color change may be a single-celled organism known as halobacteria. However, additional tests are required to confirm this theory.

"Halobacteria are salt-loving organisms that live in reservoirs with high salinity," the website of the US Fish and Wildlife Service notes.

The salinity at the mouth of the pond currently exceeds 70 parts per thousand, which is twice the salinity of seawater.

Currently, the University of Hawaii (UH) is conducting additional tests to determine the exact strain of halobacteria. Locals and tourists are anxiously awaiting the results of the analysis.