Disturbance of a beach-loafing Mediterranean monk seal by tourists on the Croatian island of Cres, has been caught on camera and published by local NGO Blue World Institute. The species, once considered effectively extinct along this coast, has been making something of a comeback in recent years. Though some have characterised the incident as ‘minor’, accusing conservationists of exaggeration, it is perhaps worthwhile noting that such disturbance to a resting monk seal would be considered illegal in Hawaii, potentially incurring fines of up to $50,000. The return of the monk seal to Croatia is likely to result in increasing interactions of this kind, both in number and intensity. It is perhaps time for the Croatian authorities and international bodies concerned with the survival of the species — whoever they may be — to map out practical strategies to minimise the impact of such interactions.
NEW on Amazon Kindle: The Rose-Tinted Menagerie
Recent Publications
THE ROSE-TINTED MENAGERIE
A History of Animals in Entertainment, from Ancient Rome to the 20th Century
by William M Johnson
with introductions by Desmond Morris (author of the Human Zoo and The Naked Ape) and the late Sadruddin Aga Khan
~ with 47 colour and b/w illustrations ~
Hailed as ‘a ground-breaking work’ upon its original release in 1990, the unabridged, fully illustrated, 325-page edition of The Rose-Tinted Menagerie has now been republished by Iridescent in Amazon Kindle ebook form. From the circus amphitheatres of ancient Rome, to the first travelling dolphin shows in America, Europe and the Far East… From the global trade in wild animals, to the captive chimps and dolphins exploited as tools of war… Through two thousand years of history, The Rose-Tinted Menagerie explores the human attitudes that have shaped our species’ conquest-driven relationship with nature as a whole, a psychology as evident in the taming of the wild beast for the circus arena, argues the author, as in the razing of forests or the mass extinction of species.
‘…Nothing in nature can quite match the wilful viciousness, manipulation and self-aggrandisement displayed by the human mammals who run The Rose-Tinted Menagerie. The setting for William Johnson’s angry book is a small and specialised one: the world of circuses, menageries, safari parks and dolphinaria; of animals as entertainment. But because the animal show is, literally, a dramatisation of our superiority over the animal kingdom, an enactment of little parables of mastery and servitude, it is also a microcosm of our whole relationship with nature…’ — Richard Mabey, The Independent on Sunday
‘An outstanding investigation…’ — Naomi Lewis, Books of the Year, The Observer
‘A ground-breaking work… of great importance…’ — Tom Regan
Publishing info
Title: The Rose-Tinted Menagerie
Author: William M Johnson
Format: Amazon Kindle mobi
ISBN: 978-3-9524015-1-4
Available on: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, Amazon.es, Amazon.it
Publication date: July 2012
Publisher: Iridescent Publishing
Contact: contact@iridescent-publishing.com
Further info: Press Release [PDF]
Cres sighting video
Mediterranean monk seal on Cres, Croatia, 29.06.2012
Courtesy Blue World
New monk seal sighting on Cres, Croatia
Blue World news release, 2 July 2012
Despite sporadic reports of individual observations in the last few decades, the emergence of the Mediterranean monk seal in the Adriatic has only been confirmed recently. First photographically documented observations were made on the 12 June 2005. […]
Since then, Blue World regularly monitors these types of observations in the northern Adriatic. Given that the Mediterranean monk seal uses a large area it has many places to rest. Occasional observations around Cape of Premantura Kamenjak in Istria and Losinj have been made, yet there are wide areas of the coast in this region with limited accessibility where the seal could rest in peace. On the 24.06.2011 Blue World researchers recorded the movement of an individual under water (video on www.plavi-svijet.org/hr/znanost/vrste/sredozemna_medvjedica/), and subsequent inspection of the terrain we found underwater caves which may be used by the animals to rest. Continue reading “New monk seal sighting on Cres, Croatia”
Notes from the Field
The Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program is posting some fascinating updates and observations on its Facebook page from its latest tour of duty among the far-flung atolls of the North Western Hawaiian Islands. Here is the latest:
Notes from the Field: Update from Laysan Island Monk Seal Team
We have hit the field running on Laysan. For a reunited, returning crew, it has been relatively easy to do just that. With the field camp up and running by the end of offload day, we were able to start surveys our second day on island.
Within the first week, we were able to tag all 21 weaned pups. Tags are placed on the hind flippers to give each seal a unique set of tags used to identify that seal throughout its life. Once these pups were tagged, it was onto the next set of priorities. Continue reading “Notes from the Field”
Making a Killing, free on Amazon on 20 June
Press Release, Iridescent Publishing, 18 June 2012
In a special one-day promotion, the ebook version of William M Johnson’s critically acclaimed end-of-the-world satire, Making a Killing, will be available free on Amazon on Wednesday 20 June.
Those wishing to take advantage of the offer can download the book from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088CGHRM
The republication of Making a Killing by Iridescent Publishing marks the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit (June 20-22), as some 50,000+ dignitaries, bureaucrats, scientists, nature managers, conservationists, business leaders, celebrities, and the world’s press once again descend upon glamorous Rio de Janeiro for the UN’s “Rio+20” Earth Summit II — billed as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to save the planet. Continue reading “Making a Killing, free on Amazon on 20 June”