Yulia the celebrity endangered monk seal spotted near Lebanon - report

Yulia, the Mediterranean monk seal, was spotted off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, over a year since she was last seen on a beach in the Gaza Strip, Army Radio reported.

The seal in question first appeared on Israeli shores in May 2023. Dubbed Yulia, she quickly won the hearts and minds of the Israeli public during a tense year filled with division over judicial reform and political instability. 

Her appearance on an Israeli beach is practically unprecedented. Though seals can be found worldwide, the only species that live near Israel is the Mediterranean monk seal, a critically endangered species and the rarest of all seal species - not to mention one of the 12 rarest mammals in the world. Their total population is thought to number just around 500-700 individual seals.

Their habitats range throughout the Mediterranean but are most commonly seen in the Aegean Sea region around the Greek Islands, Turkey, and Cyprus. 

It is extremely rare for them to venture this far south. Back in 2010, one such seal was briefly spotted far off the coast of Tel Aviv and then later again in the waters around Rosh Hanikra. This was the first time one had been seen here in 70 years. 

Since then, the monk seals have made sporadic appearances throughout the region. Due to their extreme rarity, these sightings always catch some degree of attention in the press. 

When Yulia the seal captivated Israel

However, Yulia's appearance in Israel stood out. For the first time, a seal was spotted not in the water but on the beach, resting on the sands in Tel Aviv for hours, where she drew a crowd. 

The International Union for Conservation of Nature later identified Yulia as a seal they were already familiar with, Tugra, a 20-something seal who had been spotted before in Greece and Turkey, who also had a penchant for swimming long distances. 

Shortly after taking Israel by storm, Yulia was spotted on a beach in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Since then, her whereabouts have been unknown until Thursday's sighting of her off the coast of Lebanon.

Many Israelis on social media responded positively to news of her sighting.

"Finally, some good news," one social media user wrote.

Another posted that Yulia should be the one to handle negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah rather than US special envoy Amos Hochstein.

Another person jokingly said, "First Rafah and now Lebanon - you realize that she is a spy for Iran, right?"

Another said in jest that she works for the Mossad.

And yet another commenter referred to the many intentional glitches of Israeli GPS made by the IDF as a security measure against drone attacks, writing, "Her GPS shows Lebanon, so she's definitely at the KKL interchange."

Yulia the seal is, regrettably, unavailable for comment, and it is unknown where her adventures will take her next.