The Cape Verde Islands are an archipelago of volcanic origin situated in the eastern Atlantic c. 450 km west of Senegal, West Africa. A former Portuguese colony, the islands became an independent republic in 1975. There are 10 islands and several smaller uninhabited islets. The more western islands are geologically the younger and these are mostly highly mountainous with steep and rocky cliff coasts. In contrast, the geologically older eastern islands of Sal, Boavista and Maio are much flatter and have large stretches of sandy beach as well as rocky coasts. Until recently there was no indication of the occurrence of monk seals in the Cape Verde Islands, although stray animals – presumably originating from Mauritania/Western Sahara – had been reported from Senegal and The Gambia (Israëls 1992).

In May 1990, German biologists found the skeletal remains of at least four seals along the southeastern coast of the island of Sal (Kinzelback and Boessneck 1992). Some of the bones were collected and these were indentified as belonging to the Mediterranean monk seal, including an adult and a very young animal. It was assumed that these animals had died during the autumn of 1989. Nothing was heard again about monk seals in the Cape Verdes until 1996, when the present author was stationed on Sal in connection with research on Cetacea. On 23 April of that year, two US citizens temporarily resident on the island reported the sighting of a seal off the southwestern coast of Sal and their detailed description of the animal convinced us that they had seen a Mediterranean monk seal (Hazevoet and Wenzel 1997). Despite extensive searches during the following days, the animal was not sighted again. However, some fishermen that were interviewed about their knowledge of seals in the area told us that they had seen phocas every now and then ‘not very long ago’. During these interviews care was taken to avoid confusion with dolphins or sea turtles, both common in the area. The only other indication of the occurrence of seals in the Cape Verde Islands is a remark in a popular tourist guide, mentioning that it is ‘not unusual’ to see large seals at sea between the islands of Sal and Boavista (Matthews 1989). However, it has been impossible to check the reliability of that information.

On the basis of the limited information available at present, it is impossible to say whether monk seals in the Cape Verde Islands are merely stray animals from populations elsewhere or if there exists a local population, be it perhaps only the remnants of one. It is therefore important that a thorough survey be conducted to establish the status of the species in the Cape Verdes. To start with, such a survey should probably focus on the three eastern islands of Sal, Boavista and Maio, both in view of their apparently more favourable habitat conditions and their closer proximity to the West African mainland. Such a survey should cover the entire coastline of these islands and should also include interviews with fishermen and other sea-going people, using multiple choice charts with pictures of marine animals that they may or may not recognize. In addition, a network of local correspondents could be set up to gather and forward information obtained from local people.

Since 1986, I have worked off and on in the Cape Verdes for prolonged periods, mainly in connection with ornithological research, particularly on seabirds. I have also worked on cetaceans and endemic landbirds and have been involved in several conservation projects in the islands. However, due to other commitments and also because, until recently, I was unaware of the possibility of monk seals occurring in the Cape Verdes, a comprehensive effort to gather data on these animals has yet to be made. Through my long term aquaintance with the islands, I have become thoroughly familiar with the local situation, both in a biological and a cultural sense. Although originally from the Netherlands, I speak both Portuguese (the official language in the islands) and the local vernacular Crioulo. This must be regarded as a major advantage for any researcher, because very few people in the Cape Verdes speak any foreign language, especially outside the towns.

In view of the perilous situation of the Atlantic population of the Mediterranean monk seal – particularly in light of the disastrous die-off that hit the Western Saharan population in 1997 – it is surely all the more important to clarify the status of the species in the Cape Verde Islands.

References

Hazevoet, C.J. and F.W. Wenzel. 1997. A record of a Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus from the Cape Verde Islands. Lutra, 40:21-22.

Israëls, L.D.E. 1992. Thirty years of Mediterranean monk seal protection, a review. Mededelingen Nederlandsche Commissie voor Internationale Natuurbescherming, 28:1-65.

Kinzelbach, R. and J. Boessneck. 1992. Vorkommen der Mönchsrobbe Monachus monachus auf Sal (Kapverdische Inseln). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde, 57:58-59.

Matthews, H. 1989. Stromer’s praktische Reiseführer: Kapverdische Inseln. Baumann & Stromer, Zürich.