Mediterranean monk seals are one of the
most critically endangered species on
earth with less than 600 seals remaining
in the wild so when a tiny pup only 3
days old washed ashore in a storm
locals spring into action battered
dehydrated hungry and with no mother in
sight the newborn seal found herself in
the care of another law the acronym for
a group of scientists dedicated to
saving this species from extinction
mom biologist Ginni andrew kaki sees the
rescue efforts as essential to ensuring
a future for this rare seal and for
protecting the health of the entire
Mediterranean Sea with so few seals left
each animal becomes especially important
to the species survival a female like
Victoria might give birth to 15 pups in
her life so this one little seal is very
important to the future of her species
and macaws monk seals are one of the
very few top predators in the
Mediterranean Sea protecting this seal
means protecting the delicate balance of
other marine species in the region at
the lab Ginny and her crew set to work
cleaning Victoria’s wounds deep cuts
from being slammed against the rocks the
pup is too young to eat fish so the team
blends a fish milkshake and feeds her
through a tube
soon she’s on the mend swimming playing
and like any curious youngster getting
and to everything but while an aquarium
is a good place to grow healthy it won’t
teach Victoria how to survive in the
open ocean
normally a seals mom would show her the
ropes in Victoria’s case chinny take on
the job because monk seals are so
reclusive biologists know little about
how Co mothers raise their pups thanks
to remote cameras they’re about to learn
more the mom team sets up the cameras in
a secluded Cove where the monk seals
take shelter and give birth the cameras
provide a rare glimpse into the private
life of the seals allowing biologists to
study how mothers and pups interact
without disturbing the animals while
Victoria recovers in the rehab center
biologists watched the co mothers they
take notes on what they’ll need to teach
Victoria to prepare her for life in the
wild back at the mom Center Victoria
seal school starts with learning to eat
fish
quickly she graduates to live fish
gaining weight and strength the meals
are free here at the mob center but when
she returns to the open water she’ll
find that a fish dinner can come at a
high cost in this area fisherman and
monk seals have been competing for the
same catch for centuries the crafty
seals – into fish nets to steal a meal
often damaging the nets in the process
many frustrated fishermen have seen them
as pests Mediterranean monk seals are
legally protected but some fishermen
still killed them other seals get
tangled in the nets and drowned
but mom researchers are working with
fishermen to strike a truce they share
information about the seals relatively
small catch and they teach locals how to
safely release netted seals
the mom team hopes that fishermen will
learn to see seals not as enemies but as
a way to spark conservation efforts for
the region if people improve monk seal
habitat fish populations might also
increase a boon for both seals and
fishermen with mom’s health this rare
seal has become a source of local pride
and residents regularly call the mom
hotline to report injured or stranded
seals back to the rehab center
Victoria graduates from seal school with
an audience of well-wishers to see her
off she’s leaving behind her home of
four months for a life at sea for Jenny
it’s the moment of truth
bidding farewell to the seals she’s
raised and letting go allowing Victoria
to face the future on her own no one
knows what Victoria’s future holds but
thanks to a new common technology we’re
about to find out
while many animals are tracked by radio
collars or satellite technology Victoria
gets her own cell phone the specially
designed mobile technology sends text
messages back to the mom headquarters
with details of Victoria’s life at sea
the text messages give Jenny and the mom
team information on how deep Victoria
dives how fast she swims and where her
journeys take her in the Mediterranean
Victoria’s text led ginny track how the
little seal is adapting to her new
surroundings the messages also help
researchers learn more about this rare
and elusive species in six months the
cellphone will shed with Victoria’s
molting pelt from that point on our
rescuers will only be able to hope that
she like the rest of her species will
beat the odds and thrive
but until then by many human adolescents
she’ll check in regularly by text
sponsored by National Geographic mission
programs taking science and exploration
into the new millennium
most critically endangered species on
earth with less than 600 seals remaining
in the wild so when a tiny pup only 3
days old washed ashore in a storm
locals spring into action battered
dehydrated hungry and with no mother in
sight the newborn seal found herself in
the care of another law the acronym for
a group of scientists dedicated to
saving this species from extinction
mom biologist Ginni andrew kaki sees the
rescue efforts as essential to ensuring
a future for this rare seal and for
protecting the health of the entire
Mediterranean Sea with so few seals left
each animal becomes especially important
to the species survival a female like
Victoria might give birth to 15 pups in
her life so this one little seal is very
important to the future of her species
and macaws monk seals are one of the
very few top predators in the
Mediterranean Sea protecting this seal
means protecting the delicate balance of
other marine species in the region at
the lab Ginny and her crew set to work
cleaning Victoria’s wounds deep cuts
from being slammed against the rocks the
pup is too young to eat fish so the team
blends a fish milkshake and feeds her
through a tube
soon she’s on the mend swimming playing
and like any curious youngster getting
and to everything but while an aquarium
is a good place to grow healthy it won’t
teach Victoria how to survive in the
open ocean
normally a seals mom would show her the
ropes in Victoria’s case chinny take on
the job because monk seals are so
reclusive biologists know little about
how Co mothers raise their pups thanks
to remote cameras they’re about to learn
more the mom team sets up the cameras in
a secluded Cove where the monk seals
take shelter and give birth the cameras
provide a rare glimpse into the private
life of the seals allowing biologists to
study how mothers and pups interact
without disturbing the animals while
Victoria recovers in the rehab center
biologists watched the co mothers they
take notes on what they’ll need to teach
Victoria to prepare her for life in the
wild back at the mom Center Victoria
seal school starts with learning to eat
fish
quickly she graduates to live fish
gaining weight and strength the meals
are free here at the mob center but when
she returns to the open water she’ll
find that a fish dinner can come at a
high cost in this area fisherman and
monk seals have been competing for the
same catch for centuries the crafty
seals – into fish nets to steal a meal
often damaging the nets in the process
many frustrated fishermen have seen them
as pests Mediterranean monk seals are
legally protected but some fishermen
still killed them other seals get
tangled in the nets and drowned
but mom researchers are working with
fishermen to strike a truce they share
information about the seals relatively
small catch and they teach locals how to
safely release netted seals
the mom team hopes that fishermen will
learn to see seals not as enemies but as
a way to spark conservation efforts for
the region if people improve monk seal
habitat fish populations might also
increase a boon for both seals and
fishermen with mom’s health this rare
seal has become a source of local pride
and residents regularly call the mom
hotline to report injured or stranded
seals back to the rehab center
Victoria graduates from seal school with
an audience of well-wishers to see her
off she’s leaving behind her home of
four months for a life at sea for Jenny
it’s the moment of truth
bidding farewell to the seals she’s
raised and letting go allowing Victoria
to face the future on her own no one
knows what Victoria’s future holds but
thanks to a new common technology we’re
about to find out
while many animals are tracked by radio
collars or satellite technology Victoria
gets her own cell phone the specially
designed mobile technology sends text
messages back to the mom headquarters
with details of Victoria’s life at sea
the text messages give Jenny and the mom
team information on how deep Victoria
dives how fast she swims and where her
journeys take her in the Mediterranean
Victoria’s text led ginny track how the
little seal is adapting to her new
surroundings the messages also help
researchers learn more about this rare
and elusive species in six months the
cellphone will shed with Victoria’s
molting pelt from that point on our
rescuers will only be able to hope that
she like the rest of her species will
beat the odds and thrive
but until then by many human adolescents
she’ll check in regularly by text
sponsored by National Geographic mission
programs taking science and exploration
into the new millennium
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