An orphaned Mediterranean monk seal named “Panagis” returned to Cyprus on Friday after five months of rehabilitation in Greece, officials said, as conservationists prepare to release the marine mammal back into Cypriot waters.
The seal pup, discovered last November after its mother died during childbirth, arrived at Larnaca Airport on a flight from Greece where it had been cared for by MOm, the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Mediterranean Monk Seal.
“Today we welcome Panagis back after a five-month absence in Greece, after being transferred to MOm’s Rehabilitation Centre on November 22, 2024,” said Haris Nicolaou, an official from Cyprus’s Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
“The seal has fully recovered, has developed properly and returns to be released today into the Cypriot seas where it belongs,” Nicolaou added.
The seal now weighs 61 kilogrammes and is 4.5 months old, making it ready for reintroduction to its natural habitat, according to Panos Dendrinos, President of MOm.
“Now a new adventure begins as it tries to integrate into its natural environment. It has all the resources to feed itself and adapt to its natural environment,” Dendrinos said, adding that his organisation has been rehabilitating Mediterranean monk seals since 1990.
Melina Markou from Cyprus’s Department of Fisheries and Marine Research thanked MOm and Aegean Airlines, which transported the seal free of charge both to Greece for treatment and back to Cyprus for its release.
“Such actions can only make everyone proud, as the protection of the marine environment is not only the responsibility of government or NGO organisations, but of the entire world,” Markou said.
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world, with conservation efforts focused on protecting the remaining population.
The seal pup was found on November 21 in a rocky coastal area after authorities discovered its mother dead on November 18 in the free Famagusta region. A necropsy revealed the mother had died from complications during childbirth.
The pup was initially taken to the Marine Aquaculture Research Centre of Cyprus in Meneou before being transferred to Greece under the instructions of the Minister of Agriculture to ensure its survival.
The pup was named “Panagis” in honor of the religious celebration of the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos.
