Yesterday afternoon, for the first time since Madeira colonization, a Monk Seal went for a siesta on the dockyard of Funchal harbour. It is getting more common to see a Monk Seal, once in while, swimming along the South coast of Madeira but it had never happened before on the Island an individual of the Monachus monachus species getting so close to humans for a rest.

According to the Madeira's Natural Park this individual is healthy and it only decided to sleep on an uncommon place. Will this mean that Monk Seals of Madeira are gaining again their trust in humans? Some years ago these sea mammals were hunted and that is why its small colony took refuge on the Southern part of Desertas Islands. Now the Mediterranean Monk Seal is a threatened species and in Madeira (Desertas Islands), despite being the smallest colony in the world, it has the greatest success in population increase with about 35 individuals already.