From: sasealion@wam.co.za
Subject: Irony of 'Drowning' Seals
Date: May 26, 2008
Dear Seal Alert-SA Partners,
Two
new video clips have been released for you to enjoy.
video.aol.com/video-detail/beyond-the-human-barrier/2793370882 and
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRXkYw7yKSg.
Although this is another long email, its contents are vital to
saving this entire species.
Irony
of 'Drowning' Seals
Do
birds fall from the sky? Can seals really drown? Each December
coastal newspapers report the washing ashore of thousands of seal
pups along the coastline of South Africa. The cause of these seal
drowning is given as high winds and rough seas. Since first
reported in 1917, it has been accepted as some natural annual
event. Government claims the seal population has not declined, and
therefore there is no cause for concern, it is just part of
nature's natural cycle.
That is like saying a Tsunami will hit the same
island each year or an earthquake on the same spot yearly.
We elude to the obvious. Can fish really drown
or for that matter a marine mammal? Is it humanly possible and
logical to accept that a seal can drown on its own.
I have a word for it, and its called the cruel
and 'unseen' seal cull. Nature does not drown seals, we do.
Just over 30 days from now, and for another 140
days thereafter, Namibia with 70% of the Cape fur seals in its
waters, will begin its annual cull of 85 000 baby seals, starting
on July 1. On the pretext of creating employment for 120 unskilled
workers living in cardboard shacks near to the seal colony. In my
next update, I will give you point facts about this slaughter and
what is being done to end it.
However, ending Namibia's seal cull, like South
Africa did in 1991, will not stop the suffering or culling of
seals. The very reason, why baby seals are being rounded-up
and slaughtered on Namibia's beaches on the mainland, is due to
these seals being banned from their former offshore islands. Where
99% of their former offshore seal colonies remains extinct.
Commercial seal clubbing is not commercially
viable on offshore islands during winter (July - November).
Banning seals from islands and restricting their
breeding to small rocks. Results in a cull of this endangered
species. Either in being commercially clubbed on the mainland or
drowning after being washed off small offshore
rocks. Until this is addressed and ended, and seals are
allowed to re-populate offshore islands. Introducing international
import bans of these seal products to end commercial seal culls
will never protect the species.
South Africa's
'UNSEEN' Seal Cull
The
islands off the South African coast hold the real key, to the
future conservation and protection of this species. It is here
where another seal cull occurs annually each December, far crueler
and which to date has received little attention. Its the unseen
seal cull of this species.
In 1972, the United States of America
banned all imports of baby Cape fur seal skins, as it deemed the
clubbing to death of nursing baby seals to be inhumane.
Instead of ending culling, South
Africa legislated the Seal Protection Act to protect seals in 1973.
In 1977, United Nations - Convention in Trade of Endangered Species
(CITES) listed Cape fur seals as an Appendix II endangered species.
International export trade in seal products to Europe thereafter
flourished.
Endemic or native habitat for this species
is offshore islands which the seals require all year long.
Geographically 83% of the islands occur off the Cape coast of South
Africa, hence their name. Prior to government legislated
protection in 1973, the offshore seal population accounted for 24%
of the population, after protection, 32 years later, it is now
12% of the population.
Clearly, this is no protection, and is
failing the species.
So if local protection laws, means more
seal clubbing and island banning and United Nation's protection
means increased exports. Who is protecting these seals?
A total of 26 islands are found off the
South African coast, historically all former seal breeding islands.
All legislated as protected seal habitat. Colonial sealing activity
exterminated at least 16 of these island seal colonies by 1900.
Seals fleeing sealers found refuge on the smallest, awash
rocks which was inaccessible to seal clubbing sealers. 10
separate seal colonies formed on the rocks, which collectively
account for 1% of the offshore island habitat around South Africa.
In an area known affectionately by seafarers as the Cape of
Storms.
With 12% of the seal population on
offshore rocks, and 18% on South Africa's only mainland colony.
South African government announced to the world in 1991, that it
was ending its annual commercial sealing/harvesting/culling policy
of 30 000 baby seals.
Animal welfarists and rights
organizations rejoiced. On paper, South Africa's clubbing to death
of baby seals by human sealers had ended, but had the policy, of
controlling the seal population, through culls ended, and were
seals now properly protected under the Constitution?
Government knew that if it banned seals
from re-populating large former seal islands, and restrict their
breeding to small rocks. Any growth in the population, would cause
increased density or overcrowding. Equally, selecting which
inappropriate rocks these seals can bred on, storms and high winds,
during collective pupping time, would wash over these rocks,
sweeping the new-born pups into the sea, drowning them, as they
cannot swim for the first 6 - 8 weeks from birth.
So yes it is true that new born Cape fur
seal pups cannot swim, but they also cannot drown, unless exposed
to long periods in cold seas, until they have developed a
waterproof undercoat of protective fur. Knowing this, would female
seals choose such habitats to raise their young, and breed the
population if they had an option?
I have witnessed first hand how new baby
seals, completely defenseless as mother is away hunting, are
swept off these small rocks as each incoming wave surges over it
and I have witnessed returning mother's dive in after baby seals,
and try desperately to swim the baby once again, back to the
safety of the rock, only to be swept away again, as the next wave
passes over. Until exhausted, leaving baby seal to drift into the
darkness of the open sea. I have witnessed hundreds fighting for
survival all at the same time, as each wave surges
over.
The world's largest wave, internationally hosting the annual 'Red
Bull Big Wave' surfing contest, builds up over the offshore seal
colony below. As each wave washes over the seal colony rock, as
many as 700 baby seals wash off and drown each
day.
If the white sharks continuously patrolling the seal colony do not
tear these helpless baby seals to shreds, unable to swim or dive to
get away, City Council refuse workers will collect the hundreds of
seal carcasses that wash ashore each day, including some that were
lucky enough to have survived the 6km terrifying swim to shore.
Some only hours old, who have not even had their first suckle,
others just a few days old after birth. All that are found on the
beaches opposite the offshore colony/ies, will be placed in council
garbage bags and tons of baby seals will be dumped on council
refuse dump sites. It is not uncommon for over 8000 baby seals to
drown off one of the ten seal colonies within the first
month.
Although when first surveyed in 1972, 35 000 baby seal pups were
born, and 32 years later, 36 000 seal pups are recorded. During
this period of 32 years, over 1,1 million baby seals were actually
born on these 10 offshore colonies. In any wildlife population, a
natural mortality of its young is to be expected. Scientifically
for Cape fur seals, this has been researched at 25%.
The balance of over 800 000 baby
seals or close to 30 000 seals a year, is drowned or eaten by
sharks, due to the policies of mankind.
This is South Africa's 'Unseen' Seal
cull, equivalent to South Africa's previous physical seal clubbing
cull number, although far more cruel, with far more
suffering.
With 99% of their former seal
islands, uninhabited, unpopulated and still extinct and banned to
them, although protected under legislation. The cruel death of 30
000 endangered baby seals per year or 800 000 over the past
three decades, is directly each and every one of us,
responsibility. We have let the new-born seal population drown off
the South African coast, and shrink to 12% or decline by
half.
If we were to intervene, to save
these baby seals before they drown, we would need a rescue budget
per year, exceeding R360 million, as each seal pup rescued will
require in excess of R10 000 in fish purchases, to fed for its
year of rehabilitation, before returning it to the wild. In doing
so, it would become the largest, annual wildlife rescue operation,
ever attempted, and require thousands of volunteers for a year. As
we cannot just simply, re-unite them with the mothers, as the waves
will just keep washing them off. So officially no rescue is ever
attempted.
Instead its reported as a natural
annual re-occurring event, at which storms and high winds, are
instead blamed as the cause.
Knowing that the solution, for the
entire survival of this species on this planet, lies in allowing
seals to repopulate, previous sealing islands, now extinct and
banned. One person, Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA has been working
on a plan. Whilst it is impossible to rescue 30 000 seals per year
and treat them for a year, or to raise R360 million to do so, it is
possible to find a long term solution.
The 8 baby seals in the video clip,
were the only seals to have survived this cull, and who each hold
the future key to their survival.
My recent meeting with the Minister
of Environmental Affairs 's special advisor and Deputy Director of
Marine and Coastal Management, laid out to them, in a 122
powerpoint slide show presentation, the urgent need to re-open
these former seal islands to the seals. I await their
decision. 16 islands are open to re-populate, which
collectively make up 99% of the offshore habitat. Already I have
secured in a written agreement, the re-opening of the largest
former seal island, or at least 40% of its coastline. This alone,
will give back the seals over 20% of their lost former habitat.
Sufficient to allow all female seals in South Africa to now give
birth to their pups in a safe environment, as this large island
does not become awash.
But the seals are too afraid of mankind or
sealers, to return naturally on their own. Capture and relocation
programs will not work as females will simply leave new island
colony to return to awaiting starving pup on the awash rock seal
colony. Instead in a world first, I have been developing the
ability, to rescue a select group of baby seals from different seal
colonies, and in a group rehabilitation, to find the means to
re-populate these extinct former seal islands, with these babies.
In which it is hoped, these babies will then adopt these new
islands, as their natal birth seal colonies, and go on, on their
own to develop these seal colonies naturally.
The key of which lies, in perfecting the
ability to hand-raise a group of babies, forming them into a colony
and in which the female pups, grow up to have their own babies, but
who in turn, equally adopt new babies rescued, to speed up the
process of reaching critical mass, for this seal colony to function
naturally once again.
If you would like to partner me, in doing
this most rewarding wildlife work in saving a species of seal found
nowhere else on earth. Then please assist with funding, to empower
me to do what needs to be done.
My appeal in previous updates for funding
for a catamaran boat, is the key to this plan, to date we have
received about 15% towards its purchase.
PS - My banking details below.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
www.youtube.com/user/sealmancam
Seal Alert-SA Postal Address. SEAL ALERT-SA, BOX 221, POSTNET, HOUT
BAY, 7872, SOUTH AFRICA
HEREWITH IS FURTHER DETAILS FOR BANK TRANSFERS:
ZAR
is South AfricanRand
More information to be able to send the money via internet:
SEAL ALERT-SA ACC : 911 2201 321
BRANCH CODE : 632 005
SWIFT
CODE : ABSAZAJJ
BANK : ABSA
SA NAT.CLEARING CODE
FOR EUROPE :
IBAN : 911 2201 321
ACCOUNT : 911 2201 321
BIC : ABSAZAJJXXX
BIC: (SWIFT-CODE) ABSAZAJJ
Bank name : ABSA
Address : DELPHI ARCH
OFFICE PARK, RAATS DRIVE, TABLE VIEW
City/code : TABLE VIEW, 7439
Country : South Africa
