Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Monk Seal This is to let you know that we have now published the December 2010 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: Growing up with monk seals in Madeira, by Gil Pereira. International News: IUCN let down... Hawaiian News: Updates from Papahanaumokuakea and the Main Hawaiian Islands... Mediterranean News: Greece: Lazarus dies in rehab... Mauritania & Western Sahara: New productivity record... Turkey: Monk seal pup rescued in Aydincik, Mersin... Cover Story: Cave habitats used by Mediterranean monk seals in Sardinia, by Luigi Bundone. In Focus I: Mediterranean monk seal mortality in 2010 in Greece, by Marianna Psaradellis, Vangelis Paravas and Alexandros A. Karamanlidis. In Focus II: Three monk seal encounters in the Northern Gulf of Evia, Greece, by Giovanni Bearzi and Silvia Bonizzoni. Perspectives: A new healthcare facility for Hawaiian monk seals in Kona, Hawaii, by Jeff Boehm. Letters to the Editor: Including Genetic scepticism ­ just how important is genetic research to the conservation of the Mediterranean monk seal? 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 _______________________________________________ William M Johnson editor@monachus-guardian.org website: http://www.monachus-guardian.org newsblog: http://www.monachus-guardian.org/wordpress Facebook: http://cli.gs/fb.tmg _______________________________________________