Exciting news: Delphis researcher discovered that the monk seal Maya lives in Cyprus and has also given birth to pups

Dr. Mia Elasar, who leads Delphis' project to return seals to Israel, discovered to her surprise that the Israeli seal is well known to the Cypriot researcher she invited to Israel specifically for the Rosh Hanikra Caves restoration project that began this week

כלבת הים מאיה, כפי שתועדה בקפריסין ע"י האריס ניקולאו, ממשרד החקלאות הקפריסאי, יחד עם גורה, באוקטובר 2023

Dr. Mia Elasar of the Delphis Association, which works for marine mammals in Israel, had no idea what a surprise awaited her when she went through photos taken by seal researcher Harris Nicolaou, as part of his work at the Rural and Environmental Development Department of the Cypriot Ministry of Agriculture. One of the photos caught her attention, as the female in it looked familiar to her. Dr. Elasar quickly discovered that it was the well-known seal Maya, who has been documented in Israel six times since 2010.

"This discovery only proves the importance of regional cooperation for seal conservation," she said excitedly.

According to Dr. Elasar , the seal Maya has been seen in recent years dividing her time between Cyprus, Lebanon ("where we follow her through social media") and Israel. "Fortunately, we discovered that yesterday Maya was identified on the shores of Lebanon, so we can now say with certainty that she is safe and sound, and the seal carcass found in Ma'agan Michael last March does not belong to her," she added.

Dr. Mia Elasar: "This discovery only proves the importance of regional cooperation for seal conservation"

Dr. Elasar invited Nicolaou to Israel specifically to advise on the project to restore the caves in Rosh HaNikra, which began yesterday (May 12). This is with the aim of making the caves usable for Mediterranean monk seals, just as they were used in the early years of the state.

Nikolaou has extensive experience and proven success in restoring seal caves in Cyprus. Thanks to them, 22 individuals currently live there permanently in 16 different caves.

המערה הקטנה, לאחר הנחת שקי מלט לשיקום הקרקעית שניזוקה עם השנים, 12 במאי 2025. צילום: גיל לופו

Delphis Project to return seals to Israel

The Delphis Project for the Return of Seals to Israel was launched in March 2023, shortly before the exciting visit of the seal Julia to Israel. With her visit, the Delphis Association launched a crowdfunding campaign with the aim of quickly raising the amount needed to carry out the restoration of the caves at Rosh Hanikra.

Thanks to the supporters of the campaign, and thanks to the cooperation of the Nature and Parks Authority, the Monk Seal Alliance (MSA), the Rural and Environmental Development Department of the Cypriot Ministry of Agriculture, and the Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz Foundation, the restoration of the caves got underway yesterday, by the contractor 'Bar Sea Services' and the volunteers of the association, and with the close supervision of Nikolao.

Harris Nicolaou noted that the restoration of the large cave, in the second phase, will make it perfect for seal calving, both due to its size and the existence of small pools at its opening, which can help female seals teach their pups to swim.

In Israel - the seal Maya, in Cyprus - Anassa

In her conversation with Nikolaou, Dr. Elasar learned that the sea otter Maya is known in Cyprus as Anassa (the mother of Jesus). She lived there in a relatively large cave and gave birth at least twice - the first time in 2019, and the pup survived and lives happily today, and the second time in October 2023 - and unfortunately the pup died as a result of entanglement in fishing gear at the age of five months.

The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the rarest marine mammals in the world - and the restoration of the caves at Rosh Hanikra is undoubtedly a landmark event in the history of marine conservation in Israel.

According to Dr. Elasar, "Thanks to the Rosh HaNikra Marine Reserve being the oldest and largest in the country, and thanks to the enforcement of the Marine Conservation Area Inspectors in the field, the underwater biodiversity is among the highest in the country. The biological richness, the rocky cliff, and the removal of threats such as fishing and coastal development make the area ideal for the recolonization of the seal."

Now we, at the Delphis Association, hope to continue with the next phase - "the restoration of the large cave at Rosh HaNikra, a phase that is expected to be very complex from a technical perspective and therefore will also require many resources from a budgetary perspective."