Vol. 11 (1): June 2008

Question mark over monk seal pup at IMS-METU in Cilicia, Turkey?

Various Underwater Research Society – Monk Seal Research Group (SAD-AFAG) members have been informed by veterinarians in Mersin and Bursa (Uludag University) about a Mediterranean monk seal pup of the 2007 breeding season that was found along Turkey’s Cilician coasts. According to those sources, the pup was brought to IMS-METU (Institute of Marine Sciences-Middle East Technical University) in January 2008, with the knowledge of Dr. Ali Cemal Gücü. Following ex-situ rehabilitation for an as yet unspecified time, the pup died, according to the veterinarians.

SAD-AFAG is an open and transparent organization and has, since 1987, been providing information in detail on all the developments and stages of its research and conservation activities to public, relevant governmental organizations and the press. This includes information concerning the juvenile monk seal “Badem”, from the beginning of her rescue and rehabilitation to the present day, where she is still freely wandering the whole of Gokova Bay, SW Turkey.

Through the platform provided by TMG, we would like to ask Dr. Ali Cemal Gücü to explain the claims reported to us above, and transparently confirm to the international public and press, as well as Turkish governmental organizations, whether such a pup or juvenile monk seal was found or not, and, if found, what kind of rehabilitation procedure was applied, when and where it was applied, and what was the fate of the rehabilitation. Further, if the seal died, what was the cause of death, and was a detailed necropsy report completed? And, if the story is indeed accurate, why has such an important development not been reported to the Ministry of Environment or publicized since January 2008? We strongly believe that it is a right to have public information on a critically endangered species made freely available, rather than at special request.

– SAD-AFAG, Ankara, Turkey, 22 May 2008.

Ali Cemal Gücü, Deputy Director of IMS-METU, replies:

On 26 December 2007, a juvenile monk seal was found on a beach near to the IMS-METU campus. She was brought to the institute by a local fisherman guided by two staff from the regional branch of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. The animal was extremely weak and unable to move. IMS-METU accepted the animal and immediately contacted the wildlife veterinary department of the Veterinary Faculty of Uludag University. Since it would have taken some time for the expert to reach the Institute, a local clinic veterinarian undertook the first treatment until Dr. Huseyin Cihan DVM arrived at the Institute.

The seal was kept in a cottage located within the harbour of the Institute. Entry to the site was forbidden and no one, except the vets and those involved in tube feeding, was allowed to see the animal. Unfortunately, the seal did not respond to the treatment and died few days after she arrived at the Institute. The postmortem report was prepared by the Veterinary Faculty of Uludag.

Readers of TMG will remember that this is not the first attempt of the IMS-METU to save the orphaned seals found on the Turkish coast; a pup was rescued in 2006, but the news was released only after the animal had been safely returned to its mother [see Pup rescue in Samandag, TMG 10(1): 2007]. The IMS-METU has always refused, and has been against, using such an event for publicity and fund-raising. The principle adopted by the Institute is; a wild animal will become domesticated and imprinted on man if it is not isolated from people during the rehabilitation period. An intelligent animal, such as seal, densely interacting with people during the early stages of its life, will face difficulties readapting to nature and finding its place in the wild population. The concern for the fate of animals kept in captivity has been intensified by an unfortunate rehabilitation practice in Turkey. Although veterinary treatment was first-rate, Badem, a pup “transparently” rehabilitated, is now exhibiting aberrant behaviour never seen in the wild populations, such as resting in boats. Moreover, she is posing a threat to the people in the area; 8 swimmers were badly injured during her playful attacks just before the onset of the high tourist season. It is feared that the number of attacks will increase in the rest of the season. Therefore, like many other similar works IMS-METU practices to save the Mediterranean monk seal, the rehabilitation was not publicized. On the other hand, at the moment the animal was introduced to the Institute, all the relevant authorities involved, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, in particular, were informed.

Using this opportunity, IMS-METU wishes to address a problem faced in the conservation studies carried out in the NE Mediterranean. As has been published in various articles in the TMG, the conservation team of the IMS-METU has been studying the seal colony in the northeastern Mediterranean. Until now, various studies have been carried out and the results of these studies have guided sound conservation measures, through which the decline of the colony has been reversed. One of these studies is to monitor the demographic changes in the colony. This is done by so called Population Viability Analysis. In order to perform this analysis, all the individuals in the colony have been identified to assess the size of the colony. After each breeding season, these estimates are updated by the number of pups born each year. Another crucial data required to perform this analysis is to know the individuals that die each year. This data is particularly important, because by knowing the cause of death of an individual, the threats to that particular age group can be assessed, so that the conservation measures can be modified.

The IMS-METU team does its best to obtain the data necessary to run this analysis; however in some cases, the carcasses could not be reached before they were taken away by others. In December 2004, April 2005 and March 2008, the carcasses of three seals were taken by SAD-AFAG, who later refused to share necropsy reports (assuming there are any), or any other info on the dead seals. Now the question to the monk seal community is why a “transparent” NGO takes the carcass of a seal in an area where research is carried out by a governmental research institute? What they do with this precious material? Where do they keep this material? How do they use this valuable data for the benefit of the rarest mammal of the Mediterranean?

Until now, IMS-METU has sent to TMG only news concerning its scientific works conducted for the conservation of the species; and this is the first and the last letter outside the Institute’s mission.

– Ali Cemal Gücü, Deputy Director of IMS-METU, Icel, Turkey.

Sighting on Cyprus

While free-diving in Cyprus, my attention was drawn to a cloud of sediment suspended at about 7 meters’ depth. I dived through this cloud to reach the bottom, and only then noticed the cave.

While I was returning to the surface, I realized that a cloud that big (1 x 3 meters) could only have been made by a fish disturbing sediment in the cave (there being no boats or scuba divers in the area), and so I dived again for a better look (by the way, I dive with no breathing apparatus and no hunting weapon). Suddenly, I saw something pale moving in the cave, and I stopped my descent.

After a few seconds a seal emerged from the cave: it was grey, with a paler underbelly, between 1.2 and 1.5 meters long and, after a few movements at the entrance of the cave, it swam towards the open sea.

I suppose the seal was hunting octopuses, since that cave was a place I would definitively look for such animals. Anyway, the encounter was rather brief and I cannot be more precise on the size of the seal or other details.

The sighting occurred at about 19:30 on the 22 July 2007.

– Luca Morandini, Italy, 28 July 2007.

Second sighting

I saw a seal 80m offshore from Makenzie beach, Larnaka, today Friday 25.01.2008 4pm. I was windsurfing alone and the animal appeared about 4-5m away on the surface, it was black and 1.5-1.8m long. First I saw the back making a swimming movement then it lifted up the head, saw me and disappeared. I think I am a lucky guy! Hope it will survive its visit to all-animal-killing-Cyprus!

– Jorg Grether, Cyprus.

Editor’s note:

We have edited the first of these letters from Cyprus to remove location names; the Mediterranean monk seal remains under unremitting pressure in Cyprus due to tourism pressures, coastal development, lack of in situ protective measures and a poor public awareness record.

Both sighting records were passed on to the responsible authorities in Cyprus and although we requested updated information on the status of the monk seal around the island, unfortunately, none had been received by the time we went to press.

Based on most recent available reports [see Mediterranean Monk Seal Fact Files], a question mark hangs over the status of Europe’s most endangered marine mammal on Cyprus, despite sporadic sightings around the island (including northern Cyprus). A field survey in 1997 found evidence that monk seal individuals, although rare, continued to use certain suitable caves along the coastline [The Mediterranean monk seal in Cyprus, TMG 3 (2): 2000].

A 2005 monk seal status report by UNEP (RAC/SPA 2005) cited a figure of 2 individuals for Cyprus, largely, it appears, on guesswork.

A more protected monk seal population along the Cilician coast of Turkey may have some bearing on the fate of the species around the island of Cyprus, with individual seals crossing back and forth between coasts. A 2005 survey in northern Cyprus sighted 3 individuals (Gücü et al. 2006).

Further information on the last seals of Cyprus

Cihan, H., N. Aytug and A.C. Gücü. 2007. Possible seal pox in the Monachus monachus Cyprus colony – Is stress and hunger a contributing factor? The Monachus Guardian 10 (1): June 2007.

Dendrinos, P. and A. Demetropoulos. 2000. The Mediterranean Monk Seal In Cyprus. Monachus Science Posters, The Monachus Guardian 3(2): November 2000.

Gücü, A.C., M. Ok, S. Sakinan, B. Çelebi and E. Akoglu. 2006. Seals of Northern Cyprus. The Monachus Guardian 9 (2): November 2006.

Johnson, W.M., A.A. Karamanlidis, P. Dendrinos, P. Fernández de Larrinoa, M. Gazo, L.M. Gonzàlez, H. Güçlüsoy, R. Pires and M. Schnellmann. 2006. Monk Seal Fact Files. Biology, Behaviour, Status and Conservation of the Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus. The Monachus Guardian.

RAC/SPA. 2005. Information report on the status of the monk seal in the Mediterranean. Seventh Meeting of National Focal Points for SPAs, Seville, 31 May - 3 June 2005. UNEP/MAP, UNEP(DEC)/MED WG.268/Inf.3: 1-45. [PDF  208KB]

The editor reserves the right to edit letters for the sake of clarity and space

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