On Friday, April 12, we received a call from Madeira, where we are carrying out a LIFE project with the Mediterranean monk seal. In that archipelago we had only seen them in Madeira and Desertas, but that Friday a seal had appeared in another of the islands: Porto Santo. An unexpected surprise.

It was a female born in October 2018, so she was six months old. She arrived skinny and a little withered, so she devoted herself to resting during the day on the beach and going out to eat in the afternoon.

The commotion on the island was huge: authorities, neighbors and tourists came curious to observe that phenomenon: a seal on its beaches! The truth is that, although years ago that nothing like it happened, the dispersion of juvenile specimens is quite common, and it is within the possibilities to see a young seal on the beaches of Porto Santo, despite not being its usual place to rest or feed.

There were many visits, so the environmental authorities sent keepers to monitor their welfare, talks were given in the town hall, and even a group of volunteers was organized to help in the surveillance and information work. The whole island throw themselves to take care to our little protagonist.

She was visibly improving and gained weight, and ten days later we stopped seeing her. There were waits, calls, questions, hours on the beach with the binoculars looking for any sign of return, but she did not appear again. The operatives were dismantled, and everyone returned home.

We hope our young seal has also returned to her birthplace in Desertas, and continue to grow up healthy and happy. She will always be accompanied by our love and hope.