Το Ακρωτήριο Πλακωτή βρίσκετε στην περιοχή Καρπασίας και
συγκεκριμένα βόρεια της ενορίας της Αγίας Τριάδας Γιαλούσας.
The natural arch (bridge) at the seal cave has collapsed
Text and photographs by George Konstantinou
Cape Plakoti is situated on the Karpasia Peninsula, specifically to the north of the Ayia Triada parish of Gialousa.
It is also known as the Achaeans’ Coast because, according to tradition, the first Greek inhabitants of Cyprus—the Achaeans—landed on this coast immediately after the end of the Trojan War.
At Cape Plakoti stand the old, ruined, stone-built carob warehouses: the warehouses of Limionas, the first fishing harbour of Gialousa. They are a masterpiece of the architecture of that period, and fortunately the Turks are now restoring them with European funding.
Approximately one hundred metres from the warehouses are two deep caves that, before the Turkish invasion, the local people called the seal caves, apparently because seals gave birth there.
Directly at the entrance to the caves stood, for thousands of years, a beautiful natural monument that became the landmark of the area: a natural arch, or bridge. Unfortunately, it no longer exists, as it collapsed completely a few months ago, apparently from natural causes.
I consider myself fortunate because I saw the seal outside this cave in 2010, although I did not manage to take any photographs. Since then, I returned another 50 times, but unfortunately I did not find it.
Naturally, it was not the same seal that people used to see before the war, but it appears that this particular cave provides these animals with an ideal breeding site.
Finally, during a visit to the cave on 5 November 2016, I stopped the car and, to my great surprise, saw the seal looking at me from a distance of 50 metres. It was a beautiful adult female.
The cameras immediately went into action. My joy was indescribable because I had finally managed to take my first photographs and videos of this magnificent and extremely rare animal.
It kept us company for about three hours. It remained there and did not leave, even though there were quite a few people in the area, but it did not appear to be particularly disturbed. We left while it was still there.
I have returned several times since then, but the seal has disappeared. It now appears that we may never see it again because construction of a hotel has begun near the cave. For an unknown reason, thousands of tonnes of boulders and soil have also been transported close to the cave, destroying the area’s beautiful landscape.
The failure to protect the seal’s habitat has also attracted the attention of the Turkish Cypriot press, which used my photographs.
I have also heard that during the period when the seal appeared—which coincides with its breeding season—the Turks organized commercial trips, taking tourists by boat to see it in exchange for payment and causing enormous disturbance to the animals.
The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is Europe’s and the planet’s number-one endangered marine mammal and is believed to be the rarest seal species in the world.
Seeing a seal in Cypriot waters is quite rare, although fortunately, during the last two years, reports from people who have seen seals have become increasingly frequent, mainly in Limassol and Karpasia.
There is also reliable information indicating that they breed in isolated caves in Cyprus.
The Mediterranean monk seal belongs to the family Phocidae. According to studies conducted in 2016, fewer than 700 individuals were estimated to survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the Mediterranean region—particularly in the Aegean Sea—as well as in the Madeira Archipelago and the Cabo Blanco area of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.
Approximately half of the population, around 300 individuals, lives in Greece.
It was probably named the monk seal because it lives in isolated places or because of its appearance. Its black colour and the folds of skin formed near its neck may resemble the folds of a monk’s hood and robe.
It can reach a length of up to three metres, with females always being smaller than males. The seals can live for up to 45 years, and sexual maturity begins at five years of age.
It has been observed that one adult male mates with more than one female.
In Greece and Cyprus, the breeding season extends from August until December. Females give birth every two years, following a gestation period of ten months, usually producing one pup and, more rarely, two.
They always give birth in isolated caves with an opening to the sea, although old reports indicate that, until the eighteenth century, they also gave birth on open sandy beaches.
The critical decline in their numbers is due to the relentless hunting carried out by humans during previous centuries, the lack of isolated areas where they can reproduce and their illegal killing by fishermen. Seals can cause extensive damage to fishing nets and longlines while attempting to eat the fish caught in them.
A recent tragic example was the shooting and killing of the well-known seal that the residents of Samos called “Argyro.”
The seal was the mascot of Samos. Unfortunately, it had become accustomed to people and would lie on sun loungers on the beaches.
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