On Thursday, the 10th of August, we were called to assist the Port police of Amorgos in rescuing a newborn monk seal (monachus-monachus). The baby seal was found by tourists on the remote beach of Agious Saranta in Lefkes. After several hours of monitoring as per the protocol followed in such cases in the hope that she would be reunited with her mom, this was not to be.
Always in collaboration with MOM (an organization for the study and rescue of the Mediterranean seal), it was decided that we had to intervene by removing the animal and sending it to MOM's facilities in Athens, where she would receive proper care from the experienced hands of the people of MOM. Due to bad weather conditions, we could not reach the beach by boat so the only solution was to walk to and from the beach from the path, not an easy matter when carrying a baby monk seal, so we asked the help of the local rescue team EDOK Amorgou which responded immediately.
The baby was transferred to our Center where our vet in collaboration with MOM’s vet gave her first aid. The same afternoon, the baby was boarded on the ship to Piraeus, but sadly, the woman who was monitoring her informed us 4 hours later that the baby had died. Unfortunately, she lost her mom at a very, very early stage and the chances of survival were very slim. She was underweight, dehydrated, lethargic, and with improper breathing so it was difficult from the first moment.
We want to warmly thank MOM for all its support, guidance and cooperation and for the fact that they are the guardian angels of the Mediterranean seal in Greece—they do an incredible job. We also want to thank the tourists who spotted her and called the port police. The port police officers, who responded immediately, went up and down to the remote beach twice in order to check on her during the period and did all they needed to do to help her. The local veterinarian Dr. Dimitris Simos who responded immediately and did his job with zeal so as to offer the baby a chance of survival. The rescue team EDOK Amorgou who responded immediately to our request for assistance. Vaggelis Paravas who has been the head of MOM’s team for years and has the experience for such cases and, although he was on vacation on our island, he left it all back and came to help. Christina Katsarou who escorted the baby on the boat and was willing to offer what was needed to make the trip more comfortable for her. The crew of Blue Star Naxos who always offer their help and do their best. Chariklia Psaki and Georgios Zafiriou, who offered their time and hands and we left for last, Asimakis Pagidas because he deserves a BIG THANK YOU as he is the one who ran the whole project and he did it perfectly.
A very large chain was formed to save a rare baby and though it may not have succeeded we saw once again that there are still HUMANS and there are enough of them who care. But we also saw what survival difficulties these creatures face and why they have come to be considered an endangered species and how important it is to protect it and its habitat.
The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus-monachus is the rarest seal on Earth. With an estimated population of less than 600 in the world, it is one of the rarest and most endangered animal species on the planet and is characterized as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. About half of the population, around 250-300 seals, live in Greece. The fact that the largest population of these endangered seals lives and reproduces in Greece makes our responsibility for their conservation and protection against the dangers they face something that we take very seriously.
