THE MONACHUS GUARDIAN, NOVEMBER 2008 Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Monk Seal This is to let you know that we have now published the November 2008 issue of The Monachus Guardian, the biannual electronic journal focusing on the Mediterranean, Hawaiian and Caribbean monk seals. The site can be accessed at <http://www.monachus-guardian.org> HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CURRENT ISSUE: Guest Editorial: Recovering the Balearic Islands for the monk seal, by Miquel À. Grimalt i Vert, Minister of the Environment, Government of the Balearic Islands... International News: Monk seal histories republished as open access ebooks... International Monk Seal Conservation Alliance takes shape in Madeira... Hawaiian News: Monk seal may gain ‘Critical Habitat’ on main Hawaiian Islands... Mediterranean News: Gibraltar: Seals on the Neanderthals diet... Greece: Monitoring in the Karpathos-Saria Ecodevelopment Area... Madeira: Aiming for higher public participation in monk seal monitoring... Mauritania: Lactation on an open beach in Cabo Blanco: first known record since 1945... Spain: Seal returns after 50-year absence... Turkey: Tourists captured on seal monitors... Badem released from ‘protective custody’... Research and analysis projects for Foça... Cover Story: One talking fish with a whale of a tale, by William M. Johnson... In Focus: Sighting and Response, by Antoni Font, Joan Mayol, Manu Sanfelix and Carlota Viada... Perspectives: Legal protection of the Mediterranean monk seal in Croatia, Petar Radošević... Research: The Song of the Sirens, by Panagiotis Dendrinos and Alexandros A. Karamanlidis... Research: The in situ treatment of a Mediterranean monk seal pup at Piperi Island, National Marine Park of Alonnisos Northern Sporades (NMPANS), by Christos Neofitou, Lenie ‘t Hart, Vassilis Kouroutos, Kitty Attema, Elefteria Tsalie and Clare Reed... Letters to the Editor: Translocation plans – reasons for caution, by Xisco Avella... Recent Publications. The current and back issues of The Monachus Guardian are also available from the Monk Seal Library <http://www.monachus-guardian.org/library.htm>. Should you have any comments on the web site or its contents, please contact us at: editor@monachus-guardian.org. Our sincere thanks to all the friends and colleagues who have made this issue possible. William M. Johnson editor@monachus-guardian.org PS. Don't hesitate to let us know if you appear to be on this email information list in error. _______________________________________ William M Johnson editor@monachus-guardian.org http://www.monachus-guardian.org http://www.iridescent-publishing.com _______________________________________