Turkey is among the primary habitats of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal. A cave recently identified as a home for the marine mammal shows that they also seek refuge far from the sea from which they took their name. Activists working for the preservation of monk seals found the cave on one of Princes’ Islands off the coast of Istanbul, though the exact location is not being disclosed in a bid to protect the animals.

The cave will soon be fitted with camera traps to observe the species, which is classified as endangered globally and critically endangered in the Mediterranean region. The place may be a ray of hope for the survival of seals, who are actually no stranger to the archipelago. Indeed, the work to find their habitat was prompted by sightings of seals decades ago by residents of the Princes’ Islands, which consist of nine islands, including three populated with humans.

Marine biologist Ezgi Saydam, coordinator of a Mediterranean monk seal program at the Mediterranean Conservation Society, says the Marmara Sea used to be an important habitat for seals and their population there was relatively high in the 1970s. She told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday that their population went into a decline in the 1990s due to "loss of habitat" in the Marmara Sea. Saydam ties it to "pressure" from human beings, namely, extensive urbanization across the coast of the Marmara as the population of Istanbul swelled above 15 million over the decades, becoming the most populated city in Turkey and larger than several countries. Overfishing, the depletion of food resources for seals, which feed on fish and mollusks, and maritime pollution further dealt a blow to the cycle of life for the seals, according to Saydam. As a matter of fact, only a few seals now remain in the Marmara Sea, especially in areas near the Çanakkale Strait or Dardanelles in the southwest.

There are now less than 700 Mediterranean monk seals in the world and experts predict there are about 100 seals living on the Turkish coasts.

Saydam says the presence of the Mediterranean monk seals is an indicator that the "marine ecosystem is still healthy," pointing out that seals are among predators at the top of the marine food chain.

The investigation by researchers showed that the seals resided in the cave 30 years ago and the cameras that will be installed in the location may give new clues about their life in the Marmara Sea. Saydam says they are aware of the presence of more caves in the area but chose not to disclose them.

Volkan Narcı, director of the Marine Life Conservation Society, which coordinated the efforts to locate the cave, says the islands are among the last safe havens for the species hailing from the Mediterranean Sea. "There were ancient stories about the adventures of Greek and Turkish fishermen and their encounters with those seals. Once the region was declared an area of preservation and ghost nets were cleared off, we launched a probe to verify the presence of seal caves and found one," he says. Serço Ekşiyan, a native of one of the Princes’ Islands, who joined the probe. "I remember fishermen complaining of seals (eating fish they wanted to catch) in my childhood, in the 1960s," he said. Ekşiyan’s memories about the seals habitats helped explorers find the cave.