News

Conservationists have rescued a two-month old Mediterranean monk sea, one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals.

The pup is one of only 600 surviving Mediterranean monk seals remaining in the wild, a population stressed by commercial hunting and environmental changes. The conservation team, from the Mom/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of Monk Seals, noticed the struggling ‘pup’ while studying another seal colony in the Aegean Sea. Soon after its rescuing, the seal started showing its “first signs of weakness.”

"He had been separated from his mother and he was full of internal parasites," explained Dr. Karamanlidis, the coordinator for the Mom/Hellenic Society. "Now he is gaining rapidly weight and, if everything goes according to plan, he will be released soon."

Researchers fear that an increased human presence in Monk seal habitat increases the likelihood of pups like the one rescued being swept out to see. More information on this incredible rescue can be found in the feature story on the BBC earth webpage.