(live here in the sea) - This morning (Sunday 10/11/24) the monk seal Maya, known to the researchers of the "Delphis" association, was spotted in the woodpeckers of Rosh Hankara. Reserve soldiers from the 9263rd company of the paratroopers' battalion identified the seal during a patrol they conducted there at around 11:00, when Maya was seen resting in a dark bay among the woodpeckers. A few minutes later, Maya returned to the water.
The return of the monk seals to the shores of Israel
Yigal Sheli, a reserve soldier in the paratroopers, immediately gave the report to the "Delphis" association. Dr. Mia Elser, the leader of seal research in Israel and the Delphis project for the return of monk seals to Israel's shores, immediately confirmed that it was Maya. According to her, "According to the photo, we could identify that it was Maya, the first seal that was observed in our area in 2010. Since then she has been observed several times to the shores of Israel, and the last report about it was from August 2024 from the area of Beirut, Lebanon."
Restoration of the Rosh Hankara caves for the seals
In recent years, the "Delphis" association has worked to restore the Rosh Hankara caves for the seals, which over the years have been emptied of their presence. In 2023, with the visit of the mermaid Yulia, the association launched a mass mobilization campaign for the restoration of the caves, but the war that broke out disrupted the plans. Dr. Elser explains that the declaration of the area as a closed military area created for Maya a protected and quiet space in the caves, for the first time in years. "This is the first time that the use of monk seals in the Rosh Hankara caves has been documented, and this emphasizes the need to restore natural caves that will allow the seals to return to the shores Israel."
Today the world monk seal population is estimated at 815-997 individuals, with about 170 new pups per year. The main breeding nucleus of the seal population is in the Greek islands, on the coasts of Turkey and Cyprus, while the other half is scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.
Dr. Elser summarizes: "Despite the challenges, we are working to obtain the permits for the restoration of the caves. This documentation gives us hope for the return of the seals to natural caves in Israel and for the restoration of the marine environment for the benefit of the animals and the public."
charming!