ANIMAL NEWS
June 11, 2008
Gone Forever
The Caribbean monk seal becomes the first seal species whose extinction was caused by humans
What do the Dodo bird, the Antarctic wolf and the Caribbean monk seal have in common? All of these animals are extinct because of humans' actions.
 |  MITSUAKI IWAGO—MINDEN PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES It may not be too late to save Hawaiian monk seals, like this one. |
On June 6, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service confirmed that there are no Caribbean monk seals left on Earth.
The very first account of the Caribbean monk seal dates back to Christopher Columbus' second voyage to the Americas in 1494. On the expedition, members of the crew killed eight seals. In the late 1700s, hunting reached an all-time high. By the 1800s, Caribbean monk seals were already considered rare. People hunted the species primarily for their blubber, which was used to make oil.
The last documented sighting of a Caribbean monk seal was in 1952. Since then, there have been a number of alleged sightings, but biologists have confirmed that these sightings were of other seal species. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) fishery biologist Kyle Baker, juvenile hooded seals have a striking resemblance to Caribbean monk seals.
After confirming all seal sightings as non-monk seal sightings and observing an arctic seal species moving into the region, the NOAA feels confident that the Caribbean monk seal is officially extinct. Since the last sighting was so long ago, no one can be sure when the last seal died, but Baker believes it was probably in the 1970s or early 1980s.
The Caribbean monk seal is the first seal species to die off as a direct result of human activity. Unfortunately, it may not be the last. Monk seal populations in Hawaii and in the Mediterranean are dwindling. There are only about 1,200 Hawaiian monk seals and 500 Mediterranean monk seals left. The diminished populations are particularly dangerous because the fewer seals there are, the more vulnerable they become to threats like disease, predators, food scarcity and hurricanes.
So what can we do to help protect the remaining monk seal species?
"It's going to take a huge effort," Bud Antonelis, Chief of the Protective Species Division of NOAA Fisheries at the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center, tells TIME For Kids. "It's not just the monk seals that we are attempting to preserve and recover. It's the habitat they live in, and that habitat is being influenced by many factors."
The NOAA has started a Hawaiian monk seal recovery plan. This plan works to protect monk seals from a number of factors, including sharks, habitat destruction and pollution. So far, more than 500 metric tons of trash has been removed from the monk seal's habitat in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The recovery plan also encourages population growth by helping juvenile monk seals stay healthy and well fed while they learn how to forage for food.
Antonelis says that ordinary citizens can help protect the monk seals, too. If more people recycle, plastics won't enter the ocean and end up around a seal pup's neck. Also, when visiting monk seal habitats in Hawaii or the Mediterranean, tourists should keep the ocean clean and respect the animals' home.
