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Caribbean Monk Seal Gone for Good

Jessica Marshall, Discovery News

Two other species of monk seal remain: the Hawaiian monk seal and the Mediterranean monk seal, both also endangered with only 1,200 and 500 seals remaining, respectively.

The Hawaiian monk seal suffers from different threats than hunting by humans, according to Bud Antonelis, who heads the Protected Species Division at NOAA Fisheries Service in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Hawaiian seals face threats from habitat loss, food limitation, marine debris and shark predation.

"We expect in the next couple of years, the numbers will be below 1,000," Antonelis said. The population is declining by about 4 percent a year.

Removing marine debris and sharks that threaten unweaned pups is part of the recovery plan, Antonelis said. Some seals have been brought into captivity and fed to treat malnourishment, then released.

In many places, the seal's habitat could be restored, Antonelis said. Erosion has been the major cause of habitat loss. "There's a lot of conservation work that remains to be done," he added.

"While the loss of the Caribbean monk seal is extremely disappointing, it serves as a lesson for us to pay attention to the resources that are still here and to do everything we can so that the same problem doesn't happen to them," Antonelis said. "I don't think it's too late for the Hawaiian monk seal."

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