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New monk seal killing alarms Hawaii

Media Watch, Reward offered in death of Monk Seal, KITV
The Department of Land and Natural Resources is investigating the death of 3-year-old male monk seal found on Kauai, Sunday. Photo Courtesy: NOAA

KAUAI – The Department of Land and Natural Resources is investigating the death of a 3-year-old male monk seal, who was found dead on Sunday.

DLNR chair William Aila said the seal was found on a Northeast Kaua’i beach in an area were seals have been harmed before. […]

DLNR officials say this is the fifth monk seal death under investigation.

Since November, three seals were found dead on Molokai and two have been found dead on Kaua’i.

The reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the monk seal deaths is now up to $40,000.

The anonymous and reward tip line is 1-855-DLNR-TIP.

Source: Reward offered in death of Monk Seal, KITV, 25 April 2012

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“Fokionas” reunited with the sea

Press Release, MOm, 11 April 2012
Fokionas' release, 7 April 2012

On Saturday April the 7th, young “Fokionas”, the Mediterranean monk seal found at Syros on the 16th of February, returned back to his natural environment. After almost two months in the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre of MOm in Alonnisos, a healthy and strong “Fokionas” was released in to the National Park of Alonnisos Northern Sporades.

When found at the age of three months, “Fokionas” was weak, very dehydrated, in a bad dietary condition and weighed merely 23 kg. His transport to the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre of MOm in Alonnisos was deemed necessary in order to ensure his survival.

Under the supervision of the experts of MOm and the veterinarian in charge, “Fokionas” followed a specialized and intensive rehabilitation program that aimed in treating an infection and the parasites that had befallen him. Already from the first days of the treatment “Fokionas” responded positively and ate whole fishes, as he had stayed long enough with his mother to learn the basic feeding and hunting skills.

Upon release, “Fokionas” had reached a body weight of 58 kilos, while all veterinary examinations indicated that he is in an excellent health condition. It should be noted that “Fokionas” was one of the strongest and wildest pups to enter rehab at the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre of MOm.

Source: “Fokionas” is back to the sea! MOm, 11 April 2012

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Monk seal death in Libya

Ibrahem Benamer, Natural Resources and Environmental Science,
Omar Mukhtar University (OMU), El-beida, Libya

On the 25 March in the area of Ain Gazzalla (Northeast Libya near the Egyptian border, 32.23284 N, 23.2848 E) a group of fishermen found a dead female monk seal trapped in their net. The case was reported to the coastguard who in turn informed the National Marine Laboratory. The carcass is now in their possession at the Lab and an autopsy is being arranged during this week.

This event is the only confirmed case of monk seal existence in eastern Libya since Norris 1972 [Norris, W.J.T. 1972. Monk Seals in Libya. Oryx 11: 328-330.], which may indicate that this critically endangered species can still be found in the area or close by, which will support the importance of the area as an MPA.

A report will be issued after the autopsy; meanwhile, pictures taken by the fishermen can be found on Flickr.

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Veterinarian fined in monk seal beating case

According to Turkish press reports, the veterinarian charged with beating orphaned monk seal Badem during an ill-conceived ‘aversion therapy’ programme, has received a court sanctioned fine of 848 TL.  (approximately $470). It remains unclear whether the Foça town abattoir vet, Avni Gök, will be banned from future monk seal rehabilitations.

In response to questions from TMG, Turkish monk seal NGO SAD-AFAG, responsible for Badem’s rescue and on-again, off-again rehabilitation, insisted that it had neither approved nor was aware of the veterinarian’s training regime, video footage of which sparked widespread public anger. While condemning the actions of Gök, AFAG’s Cem Orkun Kirac suggested that the footage had been leaked by local opponents of AFAG rehabilitation projects, and that the veterinarian’s methods had not been inspired by cruelty or malice.

TMG’s opinion is that the training regime applied was at best driven out of ignorance and at worst represents a clear case of inexcusable animal cruelty. While Hawaiian monk seal researchers occasionally employ “aversive conditioning” to drive monk seals away from situations in which they or members of the public are deemed at risk, (1) these are applied within the specific situation in which such action is required, not in an enclosed pool where no such risk exists, and (2) utilise actions such as noise, lights or “waving a palm frond” at the animal — presumably not quite in the same league as beating it with a stick.

We understand that AFAG intends to issue an English language press release on the issue within a matter of days.

Sources: Fok Badem’i döven veterinere para cezası, Radical, 5 March 2012.

Jenkinson, E. M. 2010. Aversive conditioning and monk seal – human interactions in the main Hawaiian Islands: Aversive Conditioning Workshop, Honolulu, Hawaii, November 10-11, 2009. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo., NOAA-TM-NMFS-PIFSC-25, 28 p. + Appendices. [PDF 268 KB]