It’s unclear how long the seals had been on the island, but Kotomatas believes its long isolation created favourable conditions. While thousands of prisoners passed through, the human footprint was concentrated, he says, with the camps occupying only a small part of the coastline. Even during the bombing era, disturbance was sporadic and concentrated mainly in the south-east of the island, he adds, away from the areas where monk seals found their refuge.
