Update for Friday, 26/5/23 - the seal was spotted again at the Sharon beach - watch
The Nature and Parks Authority communicated (26/5/23)
Last night (25/5/23), Yulia went ashore in the Sharon area for the night Nature and Parks Authority inspectors and volunteers guarded her during the night.
This morning, after resting, Yulia returned to the sea and was seen this morning again on the shores of the Sharon for a short period of time.
At this point Julia returned to the sea.
The marine unit inspectors at the Nature and Parks Authority and Delphis volunteers are now scanning the beaches in order to check if Julia appears again, in order to keep her safe.
We thank all those who reported, and remind you of the instructions if you saw Yulia:
- Keep your distance! This is a wild animal, and it should not be disturbed.
- Report to the Nature and Parks Authority hotline 3639* and to Delphis on the website: https://www.delphis.ngo/reporting, or directly by phone at 050-3225227 (Mia), so that the association's researchers can reach the scene.
- Take a picture (from a distance and without using flash!). It is advisable to shoot both in stills and in video.
- If she is on the beach itself, immediately keep dogs away (these days you have to make sure to walk with them when they are on a leash on the beach!) and keep the peace.
- Thank you for the opportunity to be part of a rare and exciting event!
The initial news - 13/5/23:
(Hai Fe) - For the first time, a monk seal was observed on a beach (whose name is forbidden to be published) in the center of the country. So far there have been sightings of a monk seal (another) mainly in Rosh Hankara and Haifa. The dog was named Yulia, given to her by the researchers.
The Nature and Parks Authority informed Lai Pa:
Now it's official: Delphis researchers have determined with certainty that the Mediterranean monk seal, which came ashore yesterday in the center of the country, is indeed a female.
The person who gave her her name is Muhammad, a boy who was on the beach when the mermaid was found, helped the Delphis researchers prevent other children from throwing stones at her, and allowed her to rest on the beach.
Following consultation with researchers from abroad, Dr. Mia Elser and Dr. Aviad Sheinin of Delphi emphasize that the long presence of the seal on the beach does not necessarily indicate a distress situation. "We have records of seals of this species sleeping for three consecutive days in a cave She tries to stay dry even though the sea is rising, constantly moving and staying away from the breaking waves."
Inspectors and volunteers from the Nature and Parks Authority, who stayed on site throughout the night to guard the seal, are still on site now, along with volunteers from the Delphis association, who make sure to prevent curious people from approaching. We ask to follow their instructions, for the safety of the seal.
Naama Dror, head of volunteers in the Central District of the Nature and Parks Authority, said:
"The power of real and strong nature conservation is in the cooperation of a community of volunteers.
The rapid recruitment reflects the recognition and care of these dear people for nature conservation, in almost every challenge.'
Bar Molot, a volunteer at the Nature and Parks Authority, said:
"We rallied in the middle of the night together with other volunteers from the Nature and Parks Authority, and came to guard the sweet seal on the beach from afar. It is important not to approach or harass her, just let her rest and return to the sea when she wants.
This is the first sighting of its kind in Israel, a very rare and exciting event, and it is a marine mammal in danger of extinction that is important to protect and that is why we are here.'
We remind you that this is the first record of a seal on an Israeli beach (in 2010 a seal was observed on the breakwater in Herzliya, but this is the first time such an individual is seen on the beach itself).
Today Delphis researchers know of at least three different individuals observed in Israel (and with yesterday's observation - the number may increase to four).
One of them is the monk seal "Maya", who has already been spotted five times in Rosh Hankara.
According to Dr. Mia Elser, only about a decade ago the Mediterranean monk seal was declared a critically endangered species and one of the 12 rarest mammals in the world. Its population numbered about 500 individuals - a very low number for a mammal whose reproduction rate is slow (one offspring every two to three years ) and models predicted extinction chances higher than 50 percent within only three generations.
In 2010, after about five decades of absence and when there was almost zero hope among researchers to see seals off the coast of the country, the first photographic documentation of a seal in Israel arrived. Since then, more than 90 sightings have been collected in Israel - from Ashkelon to Rosh Hankara.
One of the sightings was the one recorded by Andrey Aharonov in Akhziv, in May 2020, of a young individual. Dr. Mia Elser, who leads seal research in Israel, will examine all of Yulia's photos today, and will check whether it is the same detail from 2020 or a new detail (fourth), which was not known until now.
According to her, when it comes to a species that is in serious danger of extinction, the documentation is an extremely important tool - which helps in research and its preservation. "Therefore", emphasizes Dr. Elser, "it is extremely important to photograph the seal, but with a good camera - from a distance - do not approach it. As many photos as possible will help to know more details about the seal."
Dr. Elser states that there are signs that indicate that the seal is exhausted (the very fact, for example, that she did not move away even when many people gathered around her). "It seems that she traveled a great distance yesterday," Elser says. that the mermaid most likely came from there.
Contrary to predictions, the population of Mediterranean monk seals has increased and is currently estimated at about 700 individuals, about 400 of which live on the coasts of Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Thus, there is reason for optimism, and above all - to prepare and prepare the area for the reception of the seals back in Israel.
Last March, a "Bringing back the Israeli seal" campaign was launched in Delphis, the goal of which is to restore the natural habitats of the seals in the area and establish new, artificial habitats for them.
"If we want them to stay here, we must provide them with a place where they can rest undisturbed," says Dr. Elser. "We must provide a home for the seals."
These days, Delphis is examining several options for creating conditions that will allow the seals to remain in Israel, including the restoration of caves in the Rosh Hankara Marine Nature Reserve in collaboration with the Nature and Parks Authority.
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Well done to the volunteers. Very exciting. Shalom and blessed Sabbath
Very exciting.
And I thought you might be interested in an article in the field of dental implants that we can write for you and generate relevant leads through it
Yaron Karmi is very exciting. good week.
In the end, with the many uses of our coastline, the many ports and large ships, it is not a place for large marine animals.
If we had island chains with caves and undisturbed environments for establishment then of course yes.
But in Israel we don't have islands in the Mediterranean Sea or serious reefs that can support their return to nature and such cases are probably drifting in currents and are rare.
Very exciting! And kudos to the volunteers who keep it safe!
I wish we could indeed create a permanent home for seals in Israel