Our monk seal ambassador, ‘Desertinha’,
dies in Madeira

Rosa Pires

Parque Natural da Madeira Service

’Desertinha‘, the monk seal that became an ambassador for her species on Madeira two years ago [see Seal finds stardom, TMG 9 (2): November 2006], died on 1 December 2008 at the rehabilitation unit on the Desertas Islands.

Ever since 2006, when as an adult female she first became a resident of Madeira Island, Desertinha had been frequently sighted by local people. The last sighting on Madeira was in the harbour of Funchal on 27 November 2008, where she was found resting, but her behaviour was abnormal and we could confirm by her breathing and frequent vomiting that she was ill. With the support of the veterinarian of the Regional Directorate of Fisheries, that assists the Parque Natural da Madeira Service in such situations, we decided to take her to the Rehabilitation Unit at the Desertas Islands. According to the first veterinary diagnosis she was suffering from gastroenteritis and medical treatment began accordingly.

Desertinha at Funchal Harbour.		Coaxing Desertinha towards the transport box.

The capture and transport of this seal – weighing about 300 kg – to the Desertas Islands was only possible thanks to the commitment and skill of the PNMS staff, namely the leader of the logistical operation and the support of the Portuguese Navy. On 29 November Desertinha arrived at the Desertas on the Zaire, a Navy vessel. With the assistance of staff from the Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre Lenie 't Hart (Pieterburen, the Netherlands) it was now possible to undertake a more rigorous examination, as a result of which pneumonia was also diagnosed. Moreover, Desertinha was refusing food, and becoming increasingly weak. She died on 1 December, the subsequent necropsy indicating cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease of the heart, which led to her weakened state, and also a dysfunction of other internal organs.

At the Desertas Islands, the seal is transferred from Navy vessel to Park inflatable.		Under observation by veterinarians at the Desertas Islands Rehabilitation Unit.

It was also possible to determine from her teeth that this was an old individual (the molars were missing, and also completely worn down to the gums on the lower-left jawbone. All remaining teeth were yellowish, blunted, and with exposed roots). Her age was estimated to be 20. This was based on her physical characteristics in 1993 when she was identified for the first time – a female no more than 200 cm long, and with few scars. At that time, we estimated her to be no more than 5 years of age.

Desertinha was one of the first identified monk seals on the Desertas Islands and one of the first individuals to be sighted on Madeira itself. She made a great contribution to increasing the monk seal population, giving birth to 9 pups during her lifetime.

Copyright © 2009 Rosa Pires, The Monachus Guardian. All Rights Reserved