This year has seen the best monk seal breeding season since 1997 at Cabo Blanco, Mauritania. The colony stands now at around 250 individuals, marking an ongoing recovery from the mass die-off in 1997, which saw the 300 strong population plummet by two thirds.
Mercedes Muñoz Cañas, Project Technician with CBD-Habitat, explains more about the season’s births and project objectives on the IUCN website:
So far the project team have counted 67 seal births at the colony and the 2014 breeding season has not yet closed! According to Mercedes this is a new record for the “Costa de las focas“ – a sanctuary that constitutes the biggest hope for the recovery of this Critically Endangered species […]” — Read More at IUCN – Best breeding season yet for Mediterranean Monk Seal colony.