CYPRUS: Protected female monk seal probably died of stress

A rare five-month-old Mediterranean monk seal found dead off the Paphos coast in May most probably died of acute stress, according to experts.

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Aphrodite, a female seal, was found dead in May on a beach several kilometres from its den near the Tomb of the Kings.

It was first believed that the seal died after being trapped in fishing nets.

However, a report by specialists at University of Thessaloniki in Greece said no external signs of injury were found that might have caused its death, said Xinhua news agency.

It said they concluded that the most probable cause of death was intense stress, but they were unable to pinpoint the reason for this.

The most probable cause, the experts said, was human activities in the areas the seal hunted for its food.

The birth of the seal last December was announced by the Fisheries Department as an encouraging sign for the Monachus species which is protected by Cyprus and the European Union as an endangered species.

The Mediterranean monk seal is the most endangered species of seal in the world and the only type in the region.

Before the seal’s death, there were only 14 recorded Mediterranean monk seals living in Cyprus, in the Peyia sea caves.

Aphrodite was born in the Akamas on December 5.