A leading marine biologist has warned against close contact with Mediterranean monk seals after divers released a video on Monday shot close to a member of the species in a cave in Maltese waters.

The video shows the divers swimming near the seal and illuminating it with torches in a semi-submerged cave in Maltese waters.

But while the video seemed to capture the imagination of many viewers, others voiced concern about the proximity of the divers to the seal and asked the video’s authors not to share the location of the cave for fear of attracting others to the site.

Contacted by Times of Malta, marine biologist and University of Malta professor Alan Deidun said that, while he had been “elated” at first to see footage of the rare mammal, this had quickly given way to concern.

“It [the seal] seemed like an animal in a cage... it appeared to be quite startled,” he said.

“The thing that stuck with me was the use of artificial light,” said Deidun, adding that alternative light sources such as red light had shown to be less disruptive to the species in some experiments.

'They're giving birth in more hazardous locations'

The marine biologist said although the sex of the seal in the video wasn’t immediately clear, “if it was a female, it’s even more worrisome”.

He said that if the seal had been pregnant, it “wouldn’t give birth there for sure following the diver’s visit... They’re intelligent and they avoid human contact. They’re wild animals, we should keep our distance”.

Noting that, while centuries ago the Mediterranean monk seal had been known to congregate and give birth in visible places such as beaches, human interference had contributed to changes in the species’ behaviour.

“Now, they’ve become shyer and are giving birth in more hazardous locations,” he said, noting that pups [young seals] were at risk of drowning during storms in the semi-submerged caves favoured by pregnant monk seals.

Acknowledging it was “okay to take photos of seals at a distance from a boat”, the marine biologist said even though the species’ numbers were increasing, “we shouldn’t get complacent”.

'Authorities should inform people how to behave around seal'

Calling the species a “Mediterranean icon”, the university professor urged the authorities to draft a “responsible code of conduct” to inform people how to behave around the animal, stressing “it’s not just about not killing or not touching them”.

However, while voicing concerns, the professor said he understood the fascination with the species and why people could be tempted to approach them.

While native to the Mediterranean region, human activity has driven the species to now being classified as vulnerable but increasing, with a population thought to be less than 1,000.

On Saturday, the species came back into the public eye after not being seen in Malta for decades, after one was captured on camera from a boat in Maltese waters.

The last official recorded sighting of the animal before then dated back to the late 1990s, according to the Environment and Resources Authority, which, over the weekend, encouraged the public to report any further sightings.

Capturing, killing, removing, trading or “deliberately disturbing” the monk seal in any way was punishable by law, the authority stressed.