The cute whiskers are back on. Rare Mediterranean monk seals are cared for in a Greek rehab center

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Panagis hauls himself out of the pool at a rehabilitation center in Greece and scurries over for a delectable lunch: whole mackerel. It’s been about three months since the orphaned seal pup was found struggling in the coastal waters of Cyprus. Soon, he’ll be well enough to go home.

Panagis is one of dozens of Mediterranean monk seals, or Monachus monachus, that have been nursed back to health by Greece’s MOm, a charity dedicated to the care and protection of the rare marine mammal, whose population had dwindled so dramatically that at one point it faced extinction.

Thanks to conservation efforts, the seals — with their big, round eyes and prominent whiskers — are now making a remarkable comeback. Nearly half of their estimated global population of 800 live in Greek waters, where the extensive coastline offers an abundance of sea caves that provide shelter for females to rear their young.

Sleek and remarkably fast in the water, the monk seal is a skillful hunter and can consume up to 3 kilograms (6 pounds) of fish, octopus and squid a day. But it’s not averse to a ready meal, and can rip through fishing nets to steal fish — which led fishermen to view them as pests.

For decades, they were hunted, contributing to a major population decline between the 1960s and 1980s that led the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, to list them as critically endangered.

When conservation efforts began in the 1980s, combined with outreach programs to educate the public — and fishermen — “society gradually began to change … and the population began to recover,” said Panagiotis Dendrinos.

Dendrinos, a marine biologist and coordinator of the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal — or MOm — that has pioneered the Monachus monachus conservation program, says the monk seal is the only seal species in the Mediterranean Sea and also “one of the rarest species of seal and marine mammal in the world.”

“To protect an animal like the Mediterranean monk seal in its natural environment, you essentially have to protect the entire marine ecosystem,” he said.

Conservation efforts have paid off, and in recent years, the species climbed down a notch on the IUCN’s Red List of threatened species to “endangered.” About a year ago, that improved one step further, to “vulnerable.”

Usually contacted by members of the public who find an animal in distress, MOm specialists tend to adult seals on location where possible, and transport young seals to the organization’s rehabilitation center housed in the grounds of Athens’ zoo, the Attica Zoological Park, on the outskirts of the Greek capital.

There, the young mammals are looked after by veterinarians, fed a special diet to provide them with the best nutrition and hone their swimming skills in a pool.

Their carers give them names — often after the people who found them — but make sure contact with humans is kept to a minimum to prepare the animals for their return into the wild.

The young seals typically stay in the rehab center for several months, until they’ve put on enough weight and their natural hunting instinct kicks in, allowing them to fend for themselves. They are then tagged so they can be tracked, and reintroduced into the wild.

MOm, the only center of its kind in the region, has cared for about 40 seals from far and wide, both on location and in its facilities, Dendrinos said.

“This year, we had a really pleasant surprise,” he said. A female seal that had been treated and released four years ago was spotted nursing a pup.

Panagis was found in Cyprus, near where the carcass of his mother had been found a few days earlier. Alerted by locals, the organization arranged for the seal to be flown to Athens.

“Transportation is carried out with whatever is available,” veterinary assistant Nikitas Vogiatzis said, shortly after feeding Panagis. “Either by plane, or by boat, or even by taxi.

“Konstantina came in a taxi, Panagis by plane, Renos came on a boat,” he said, listing MOm’s most recent wards.

Weighing just under 15 kilograms (33 pounds) when he arrived, the now 3-month-old seal has reached more than 40 kilograms (88 pounds). Panagis is nearly ready for his return trip home, which MOm experts hope will happen at the end of March.

Renos — short for Renos-Pantelis — was found in November in the small Aegean island of Anafi by a nurse and a military conscript whom he was named after.

The seal pup was shipped to MOm’s facility. He got medical treatment and was put on a special diet until he was old enough to move on to solid fish — the mackerel that Panagis is so fond of.

He recovered and on a cold, sunny February day, it was his turn to head back into the wild. MOm personnel loaded him into a crate and whisked him by speedboat to the uninhabited islet of Gyaros, the closest marine protected area to Athens.

The release location is chosen “based on there being enough food, and there being no disturbance by people, which is very important,” said Vogiatzis, the veterinary assistant.

The crate is placed near the water, he said. Then, “you open the door, you say a prayer and you say: ‘So long’.”

Renos’ crate was deposited on a beach and the door opened. The young seal sniffed the air timidly, and waited. Slowly, he inched his way out of the crate, then picked up speed as he belly-hauled his way down the beach, splashed into the sea and was gone.

Associated Press photographer Thanassis Stavrakis in Gyaros, Greece, contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to show that experts hope that Panagis will be released at the end of March, not in May.

CORRECTS NAME TO DIMITRIS TSIAKALOS - Dimitris Tsiakalos, media, support & Logistics of MOm checks a live streaming camera and a map of the tiny Aegean Sea island of Gyaros from the office of Non–profit association MOm, in Athens, Greece, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Nikitas Vogiatzis, left, holds Renos-Pantelis, a 5-month-old monk seal, as Virginia Psaromanolaki, a veterinary doctor of MOm checks the weight of the animal at the Attica Zoological Park, in eastern Athens, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Panagiotis Dendrinos, marine biologist PhD and coordinator of MOm, foreground, and Antonis Bourikas, boat captain of MOm check the position of Renos-Pantelis, a monk seal, after its release on the island of Gyaros, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Renos-Pantelis sits inside a cage at a beach before its release on the island of Gyaros, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Renos-Pantelis, a monk seal, swims after its release on the tiny Aegean Sea island of Gyaros, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Nikitas Vogiatzis, vet assistant and animal keeper of MOm, left, and Panagiotis Batzios, field technician of MOm, hold a cage as Renos-Pantelis, a mediterranean monk seal prepares to dive at the beach during its release on the tiny Aegean Sea island of Gyaros, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Nikitas Vogiatzis, left, and Panagiotis Batzios, arrive with Renos-Pantelis, a monk seal, at a beach before its release on the tiny Aegean Sea island of Gyaros, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Nikitas Vogiatzis, vet assistant and animal keeper of MOm, right, and Panagiotis Batzios, field technician of MOm, prepare the release of Renos-Pantelis at a beach on the tiny Aegean Sea island of Gyaros, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Nikitas Vogiatzis transports monk seal Renos-Pantelis into a cage at the Attica Zoological Park, in eastern Athens, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Dimitris Tsialakos, media, support & Logistics of MOm checks a live streaming camera and a map of the tiny Aegean Sea island of Gyaros from the office of Non–profit association MOm, in Athens, Greece, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Virginia Psaromanolaki, veterinary doctor at MOm measures Renos-Pantelis, a five-month old mediterranean monk seal, at the Attica Zoological Park, in eastern Athens, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Nikitas Vogiatzis, prepares to feed Panagis, a mediterranean monk seal, at the Attica Zoological Park, in eastern Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Panagis, a monk seal, swims at the Attica Zoological Park, in eastern Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Nikitas Vogiatzis feeds Panagis at the Attica Zoological Park, in eastern Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Renos-Pantelis, a five-month old mediterranean monk seal, dives into the water after its release at a beach on the tiny Aegean Sea island of Gyaros, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Renos-Pantelis, with a GPS tracking device glued on its back is seen at the Attica Zoological Park, in eastern Athens, Greece, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Steel and aluminum are ubiquitous in Americans' lives. A stainless steel refrigerator holds aluminum soda cans. A stainless steel drum tumbles inside an aluminum washing machine. They're the metals used in cars and airplanes, phones and frying pans, skyscrapers and zippers.

That's why President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports — which went into effect Wednesday — could have widespread impact on manufacturers and consumers.

Here are some of the industries and products that rely on aluminum and steel:

The construction industry uses about one-third of all U.S. steel shipments, more than any other industry, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The industry depends on a global supply chain to build everything from airports to schools to roads, according to Associated Builders and Contractors, a trade group with more than 23,000 members.

The group says some contractors were able to lock in prices on steel or aluminum ahead of the tariffs. But if they are prolonged, the import taxes will ultimately raise prices at a time when the construction industry is already struggling with higher costs for labor and materials. And uncertainty around the tariffs will make it less likely that companies will commit to big building projects, the group said.

Annie Mecias-Murphy is the co-owner and president of JA&M, a contractor for commercial buildings based in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Some of the main materials her company uses are rebar, or reinforced steel, and post-tension cables, which reinforce concrete after it's poured.

“In attempts to get ahead of the tariffs, we do try to lock in our prices and work with our trade partners and clients on different strategies,” Mecias-Murphy said. “But ultimately, the rising costs make it difficult for small business owners like myself to contemplate large-scale multi-year projects.”

Tin mill steel is used for a wide variety of packaging, from soup cans to hairspray. And the U.S. currently imports 70% of its tin mill steel, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute.

The institute said the more limited tariffs Trump imposed in 2018 resulted in the closure of nine tin mill lines in the U.S. as manufacturers shifted to other types of steel or simply shut down. As a result, only three U.S. tin steel lines remain open.

Mick Beekhuizen, the president and CEO of The Campbell Co., said in an earnings call last week that his company imports tin mill steel from Canada. Beekhuizen said Campbell is working with its suppliers to mitigate the impact of tariffs, but it may need to raise prices.

The Consumer Brands Association, which represents packaged food makers, said it’s urging the Trump administration to exempt aluminum and steel products that aren’t available in adequate quantities in the U.S. Otherwise, consumers will likely see higher grocery prices.

“We encourage the Trump administration to recognize the different needs of different U.S. manufacturing sectors,” said Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain resiliency at the Consumer Brands Association.

Most of Ford, GM and Stellantis’ steel and aluminum already comes from the United States, reducing the direct impact the companies would feel from higher duties.

But experts have warned that tariffs might mean the three Detroit automakers have to raise their prices. Domestic steel and aluminum producers will have to increase their capacity to meet demand or risk a short supply in the near term, making these products more expensive and driving up vehicle costs.

Another automaker who could feel the pain from tariffs: Elon Musk's Tesla. During a January earnings call, Tesla Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja noted the uncertainty around tariffs.

“The imposition of tariffs, which is very likely, ... will have an impact on our business and profitability,” Taneja said.

This could be detrimental to an already inflation-sensitive American car buyer. The average transaction price for a new vehicle was just over $48,000 last month, according to Kelley Blue Book.

And as with the steel and aluminum tariffs of Trump's first term, automakers are likely to have to revisit their financial outlooks for the year as they brace for impact.

Makers and sellers of products ranging from microwaves to dishwashers are considering how to navigate cost increases.

Some like Whirlpool, which produces 80% of what it sells in the U.S. domestically, appear to be more insulated from the tariffs. Whirlpool executives told analysts at an investor conference earlier this month that Whirlpool has locked in contracts for a minimum of one year for most of its raw materials, including steel.

But Abt, a family-owned appliance and consumer electronics store in Glenview, Illinois, received notices this week from manufacturers that said they would raise the suggested retail price of countertop products like espresso makers and toasters anywhere from 10% to 15% starting April 1, according to Richie Palmero, the store's small appliance buyer.

Abt sells coffee makers that range from $100 to $500, as well as espresso makers priced from $1,000 to $5,000. Palmero said that putting another $250 on the price of a $2,500 espresso maker is a lot, but she said she doesn’t think sales will suffer significantly.

“I think customers would still buy it because it’s good quality,” she said. “But they might think about it. They might take longer to buy it. It might not be an impulse buy. I don’t think they’re going to go down to Mr. Coffee or a $20 coffee maker.”

The Retail Industry Leaders Association said the compound effect of those import taxes, earlier tariffs on goods from China imposed during Trump's first term and maintained by former President Joe Biden, and a new round slapped on Chinese products last month could be substantial.

The trade group, which represents major U.S. chains, asked its members to come up with a list of popular household items to illustrate how the multiple layers might add to the cost of finished products. The 20 entries included pushpins, trash cans, ladders, grills, paper towel holders, mixing bowls, wine racks, shower caddies, chicken coops and steel wool.

By the association's calculations, the selected imports face a potential duty of 45% to over 70% when they go through U.S. customs. The amounts varied depending on where the products were made and if they already were subject to a base tax or a tariff from Trump's first term. Portable griddles and tabletop grills from China, which had the highest starting duty, would get taxed at almost 75% of its value.

“Stacking tariffs on household goods will also raise costs on American families, millions of whom have struggled through the worst bout of inflation in 40 years,” Michael Hanson, a senior executive vice president at the Retail Leaders Industry Association, said in a Wednesday statement.

U.S. beverage companies use more than 100 billion aluminum cans each year, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute. Most of the thin rolled sheets of aluminum alloy that are used for cans are made in the U.S., but can makers do import a small percentage, the institute said.

The Brewers Association, which represents 9,500 independent U.S. craft beer makers, estimates that 10% of U.S. cans are made from Canadian aluminum. Aluminum tariffs will force small brewers to pay more for cans, the association said, even as steel tariffs drive up the cost of equipment like kegs and fermentation tanks.

But not all manufacturers are worried about aluminum tariffs. Molson Coors says it shifted production in recent years and now gets “almost all” of its aluminum for U.S. consumption from U.S. sources.

Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said during a recent earnings call that if aluminum cans get more expensive, Coke can shift to other materials like plastic bottles. Quincey told investors he didn’t want to exaggerate the cost of aluminum tariffs.

“You should not conclude that this is some huge swing factor in the U.S. business,” he said. “It’s a cost. It will have to be managed. It would be better not to have it relative to the U.S. business, but we are going to manage our way through.”

Airplanes have a mixture of metal parts, from aluminum frames, wings and door panels to steel landing gear and engine parts. Many are extremely specialized and sourced from overseas.

The Aerospace Industries Association, which represents nearly 300 aerospace and defense companies, says tariffs put their industry — and national security — at risk.

"We are concerned about additional downward pressure on an already stressed American supply chain," Dak Hardwick, the association's vice president of international affairs, said. "We are investigating mitigation strategies that would minimize the impacts of new tariffs on our industry, and we hope to work with the Trump Administration to highlight the critical role we play in America’s economic prosperity, national defense and deterrence.”

AP Climate reporter Alexa St. John in Detroit contributed reporting.

Workers move a large steel sheet to place in a laser cutting machine at a factory in a suburb of Bengaluru, India, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Workers at the United States Steel Corporations Edgar Thomson Plant end their shift at the plant on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, in Braddock, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

FILE Construction worker works outside of commercial building site during a hot weather in Mount Prospect, Ill., Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

A steel worker works at the ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel plant in Hamilton, Ont., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Nathan Denette /The Canadian Press via AP)

Jeff Ware, president of Resurgence Brewing Company, poses for a portrait near a stockpile of aluminum cans, which are sourced from Canada, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lauren Petracca)