2,500 years ago, the monk seal (Monachus monachus) was a common sight in the Mediterranean Sea, loved by the ancient Greeks. Nowadays, it is the rarest marine mammal in Europe and one of the six most threatened animals on Earth.

Despite being listed as critically endangered under the CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Appendix I) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) classification (Red List), as well as classified in need of strict protection under EU law, the monk seal remains the most endangered marine mammal in Europe.

From historically large populations of thousands of animals, the current population is estimated at fewer than 600 individuals spread over Mediterranean and West African countries, around half of which live and breed in Greek waters.

Its genetic group includes 3 species: the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) and the Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) – estimated as endangered – as well as the Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis), which has been extinct since 1952.

Monk seals are timid animals and very vulnerable to any form of human disturbance. By the end of the 1900s, the Mediterranean monk seal population had declined dramatically due to increasing human impacts such as excessive hunting, habitat destruction, marine pollution, disturbance by tourists, depletion of fish stocks, and competition with local traditional fishermen.

source: IFAW