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The Mediterranean monk seal is rarely, if ever, seen in
the Adriatic Sea these days. But that doesn't mean that they have become
extinct...yet. By Marton Burger The monk seal is one of the ten most endangered mammal species in the world. Estimates say that only 300 to 500 are left, with most now living along the pleasant coasts of Hawaii, Greece and Turkey. Two key characteristics of the fish-eaters are their large, sweet eyes and enormous size. The weight of an adult seal can reach 400 kilograms while its length can extend to 3.5 meters. Monk seals used to live on sandy beaches but with the steady rise of tourist populations, many migrated to uninhabited islands and sea caves. The seals don't particularly like large crowds, preferring privacy during their mating season and while nursing their offspring. If disturbed, they tend to leave their caves and their little ones, which soon die unattended. Not surprisingly, their love of privacy, and their dark grey fur coats, gave them their original "monk-like" reputation. They also used to live along the Adriatic Ocean for thousands of years but sightings of the creature in the last quarter century have become extremely rare. Nonetheless, some people don't want that to mean the door to extinction, believing that it is still possible to invite the seals back to the coasts, especially in Albania and Croatia. As long as they maintain the security of the seals' preferred habitat - nice caves far away from humans. Jasna Antolovic is a leading Croatian monk seal conservation activist and founder of the non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Mediterranean Monk Seal Group (GSM). She recently explained to Croatian magazine More that, while the spreading of human settlements was the main cause for the disappearance of the monk seal, other factors also contributed. For one, fishermen have been intentionally killing the seals for centuries, based on the belief that they destroy their fishing nets. The nets themselves have often led to the unintended capture and drowning of many seals. Extensive commercial fishing reduces the seals' natural stock of aquatic food. In times of poor fish harvest, the seals themselves were hunted for food. Furthermore, legend has it that childbirth is eased if a pregnant woman is laid on the skin of a monk seal while delivering her baby. GSM, along with Aquarius, an Albanian NGO, joined forces in 1999 to help the Adriatic monk seals in a project financed by the REC's grants program. "The main goal of our project is to assess the quality of monk seal habitats," said Adriana Vaso, head of Aquarius. Monk seal conservation has already been successful on the Greek and Turkish coasts. "We only have to follow the procedures they have established," Antolovic told More. GSM has been researching the seal since 1994 when they conducted a survey among local fishermen. After asking them to identify where and when they had last seen the creatures, GSM began to map out potential past and present habitats. From 1995 to 1998, they also directly searched the caves for proof including seal urine and droppings. The last recorded sighting was on February 12, 2000, reported by the operator of a lighthouse at Mala Palagruza, Croatia. In 1996 in Croatia, Antolovic had a close encounter with a seal, she told More. "We saw a passing shadow on the wall of a cave which we believed was the shadow of a monk seal," she said. In Southern Albania, Vaso heard from locals that the seal had been present until the middle of the 1980s, although no live specimen has yet been found. Over the last ten months, GSM and Aquarius examined 19 caves on the Albanian coast, with one sign of the seal, and 20 caves on the Croatian coast, again with only one sign. If a cave has signs of seal presence, they try to secure it, to keep people from disturbing the seals if they return. One way is to inform the public about the risks to seals. GSM and Aquarius have lectured in both Albania and Croatia and produced a picture book for kids in Albanian, Croatian and English. They have also pushed for the appearance of several related articles in the Croatian press and the Albanian Telegraph Agency. Another way to help the seals is through legislation. The project team is discussing the issues with local fishermen, lobbying the government to introduce new legislation and studying Albanian and Croatian nature conservation laws to assess how further measures could be incorporated. Already, the legal protection of seven possible habitats is in progress in Croatia. Hopefully, these steps will be enough for conservationists to help guarantee the seals' privacy. They may then return, even though unseen, or as mere shadows. |
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