Cape fur seal by Ger van de Geer - NL
for Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
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BLOODY
THURSDAY DEALS FIRST BLOW TO NAMIBIAN SEAL CULL
<--
April
27, 2010
URGENT
PLZ ASK IFAW, HSI, WSPA TO JOIN FORCES WITH
FRANCOIS HUGO
The
Shining World Compassion Award:
Savior of Seals - Francois Hugo,
Founder of Seal Alert South Africa,
P1/2
WHY WE
SHOULD NEVER KILL THEM -YOUTUBE
FINAL EU VOTE
- MEPs APPROVE SEAL IMPORT BAN
WATCH
THE SEAL WHISPERER
FRANCOIS HUGO - youtube
GO
TO
sealalertsa.wordpress.com
Protect the cape fur seals
* . * . *
SEAL
HARVEST HAS MANY BENEFITS by SOUTHERN
TIMES AFRICA Oct09
REACTION SEAL ALERT-SA FRANCOIS HUGO - 29 Oct 09;
"Seal Alert-SA"
Subject : REPLY SouthernTimes Article
Dear Editor/Southern Times
I refer to your article "Seal
Harvest Has Many Benefits". Your article completely ignores the
facts of the Namibian baby seal pup cull. Which is, the Namibian
Animal Protection Act in 1962 has declared that it is a criminal
offence to harass, disturb and beat an animal to death. The current
method of killing 85 000 nursing baby Cape fur seals, which account
for 90% of the cull quota. In 1972, the US banned all imports of
Cape fur seals under their Marine Mammal Protection Act due to the
fact that the Namibian seal cull killed baby seals still nursing at
the time of slaughter and/or were less than 8 months of age.In 1977
the Cape fur seals was listed as a UN-CITES Endangered Appendix II
species. The Minister of Fisheries had therefore no right to
legalise this criminal activity by introducing a sealing regulation
to kill these seal pups via clubbing them to death. In 1983 the EU
banned imports of "nursing baby seals" due to the scientific
opinion and findings of the supreme court that found "intolerable
cruelty" in killing a nursing seal pup. In 1987, the world's
remaining sealing countries, Canada, Greenland, Russia and Norway
banned the practice of killing nursing baby seals in their
respective sealing regulations. In 2007, the Netherlands and
Germany both introduced legislation which banned imports of Cape
fur seals due to the cruelty involved in the clubbing cull. In
2008, after an exhaustive scientific study by the European Food
Safety Authority EFSA, the 27-countries of the EU banned all
imports of Cape fur seals and their products.
Undercover footage of the 2009 culling
season has revealed that there is still widespread cruelty in the
clubbing of 85 000 nursing baby Cape fur seals in Namibia. This
opinion is supported by the Namibian SPCA after viewing footage and
seeking legal opinion.
In a nutshell. The Namibian baby seal pup
cull is a banned international practice, banned from import, is
illegal even in Namibia and is without doubt intolerable
cruel.
Most importantly as explained to the Prime
Minister of Namibia directly, his govt is in violation of
Namibia's own Constitution. Under the Constitution the Namibian
govt has firstly an obligation to protect and promote the
conservation of Cape fur seals, and it can only legally "harvest"
seals as you call it, when this itself contradicts your last quoted
paragraph, "If Seal Alert SA has a better option of culling, the
ministry is willing to modify its method.", in that, the Minister
may only "harvest' seals if it is done on a sustainable
basis.
So what is sustainable? Namibian
scientists have stated 30% of the pups born. In 1990, when Namibia
became independent the seal pup cull was 9000. The pup cull has
since increased over 800% to 85 000 from 2006 onwards. Since 1994,
the Cape fur seals in Namibia have experienced several major mass
die-off's from starvation from overfishing. The last such event in
2006, saw over 300 000 seals starve to death. The largest recorded
mass die-off of marine mammals ever recorded. In 2006, the Ministry
claimed Namibia's largest seal colony, Cape Cross, produced 65
000 pups, to which must be subtracted 44% prior to the start of the
annual pup cull, as these pups will die from natural causes and
jackal predation which unnaturally take 1 in 4 pups on the
mainland. This would leave at best 36 000 surviving 7-month old
nursing seal pups in the colony. The Minister has awarded since
2006, and until 2016, an annual pup cull quota of 50 000 pups for
the Cape Cross seal colony. Exceeding the number of pups by over 14
000. I flew over the Cape Cross seal colony in August 2007 and
recorded not a single seal, pup, bull or cow left alive in the
largest seal colony in Namibia.
So no matter what way you try and paint this
picture. This cruel clubbing cull. Kills all the surviving nursing
endangered seal pups in the colony, in violation of UN, EU, US
and Namibia's own laws.
The best option of culling, is to simply leave
the Cape fur seals alone, and allow they to return to their extinct
offshore islands, as South Africa has proven in its management of
its seal population, after ending its cull policy in 1990.
Most importantly after a hundred years of
protection legislation the Cape fur seals are still extinct on 98%
of their endemic breeding habitat, the 11 offshore seal islands off
Namibia
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
* . * . *
"Seal harvest has many benefits" by SOUTHERN
TIMES AFRICA Oct09
Reaction by Action Against Poisoning :
As I see no reference to animal welfare in this story, I understand
that the "seal harvest benefits" are based on singular human
interest. Consequently man can kill anything as long it will
provide work and profit, protect our food supply and can be sold as
sustainable.
Regarding the fact that around the Cape the seals are deliberately
removed from their natural habitat one can hardly speak of a
sustainable seal population to survive anyway.
I disagree with the use of euphemisms and depreciating terms to
justify the killing of seals, defined by Namibian belief as
"nothing but part of what Namibians can harvest".
You don't have to be a bunny-hugger to get unwell from the use of
the word "harvest" for killing living creatures, as it degrades
human feelings about killing to the level of cutting grass.
Regarding the consumption of fish it is good to know that seals eat
exactly what they need and have no alternative food supply. People
have alternative food supplies and waste most of their catch
anyway. Given these natural facts it might be more "responsible" to
remove men than seals from the fish food chain.
Tourists visit Namibia for its nature and you can expect them to be
100% for sustainable nature protection and 100% against seal culls.
So if you treisure tourism it is wise to focus on nature and forget
the culling. And don't ask seals or Seal Alert SA to provide
alternative jobs or methods of culling. It is not in their power
and nature to give you the answer.
Seal
Alert-SA, Media Release, 16
August 2009
'WAR' Namibian
Govt
Accuses Seal Alert
According to the German newspaper in Namibia, Allgemeine
Zeitung, on 11th August 2009,
www.az.com.na/umwelt/ministerium-warnt-vor-spionage
.
Ministry Permanent Secretary
Alfred Mbanga of the Ministry is quoted as saying, 'Ministry
warns against espionage', "such a project constitutes a hostile and
provocative act, which will not be taken lightly", adding further,
"Namibia has for this case appropriate laws and institutions, and
will restore law and order".
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA is
somewhat confused by these statements from the Ministry. Is
photographers and tourists taking pictures of seal colonies an 'Act
of War'?
Is taking pictures of Namibia's
endangered wildlife or sealing factories and "act of
espionage"?
Did the Ministry not release Seal
Alert-SA's photographer, Neil Hermann on the 12th August 2009,
after several hours of questioning him without any formal charges
being laid. So where is Seal Alert-SA actions to end the illegal
brutal clubbing of endangered baby seal pups, unlawful or an act of
war?
What is the 'state secret' Namibia
is so desperate to hide ?
This is not the first time Seal
Alert has been accused by the Ministry of espionage. In 2007, the
Ministry accused Seal Alert of "economic sabotage", which later
lead to 27-countries in the EU banning all Namibian Cape fur seal
products.
This must be the first time in
history where a government has accused an individual over living
natural resources of war. Governments declare war, not
individuals.
Is Namibia equally accusing the EU
of war, for its ban on seal products ?
According to Reporters Without
Borders, Namibia ranks 23rd in the 2008 Press Freedom Index, making
it the highest ranked country in Africa. These recent arrests and
detentions may have a big effect on this year's rankings.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA is
even more confused, when in his discussion with the Prime Minister
of Namibia Nahas Angula in July 2007, the PM stated, "that
if the harvesting of seals is destablising or bringing an
imbalance in the political direction of Namibia. If you can do
that, then the government will not want to be sealing under the
Namibian Constitution".
Surely then, instead of accusing
Seal Alert of espionage and war. Namibia should just uphold its own
laws, charge the sealers for animal cruelty under the act, and
publicly announce an end to the cruel practice of beating to death
defenseless baby seal pups.
The Ministry should be forewarned
that with any war, tourism is the first to collapse.
Instead of war, Francois Hugo of
Seal Alert-SA asks the permanent secretary Mr Mbanga, to rather
accept its "fact finding mission to the seal colonies" as offered
in its letter dated 10th August 2009. To which it has not received
a reply.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8874
http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
* . * . *
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 5 August 2009,
Breaking News
Namibian Sealers
Abduct SA Photographer on a Public
Street
tourists photographing the seals at
Cape Cross seal reserve in Namibia
At 9am on Tuesday 4th
August, on a public street in Henties Bay, near the popular tourist
attraction of Cape Cross Seal colony in Namibia, a SA
photographer's vehicle was forced off the road by another
vehicle with 4 men who claimed to be working for sealing concession
holder Albert Brink. The men threatened, intimidated and attempted
to force the photographer to get out of his vehicle. They claimed
he had filmed a truck entering a sealing factory. The photographer
fearing for his life attempted to drive off to the nearest police
station for help. The four men once again forced his rental vehicle
off the road.
The Namibian police from Henties Bay
arrived and then abducted the photographer and took him to the
police station. The photographer was forced to strip, remove all
his clothing, his belt and shoes, and all his equipment was
thoroughly searched. No charges were laid and he was not arrested.
Some hours later he was taken still in custody to the Namibian
Sea Fisheries facilities, where he was again questioned, and was
forced to reveal the reason behind every photograph he had
taken since entering Namibia on a tourist visa on
Sunday.
Sea Fisheries official informed the
photographer that he was facing a range of charges for taking
pictures in a Seal Reserve. Francois Hugo of Seal
Alert-SA received the following SMS at 3pm, "get me
help".
Seal Alert immediately contacted its
attorney Peter Dawson. At 5pm the photographer contacted Francois
Hugo of Seal Alert-SA informing that he had just been released and
was not charged with anything.
What is going on in Namibia, asks
Francois Hugo? Is no tourist safe ? Can any tourist who takes a
single picture of Namibia's largest tourist attraction, its Cape
fur seal population on the remote desert coastline, can expect to
be forced off public roads 120km from any seal colony, abducted and
taken into police custody searched and questioned ? Their privacy,
rights and personal belonging gone through, whilst they are forced
to explain the reason behind why each photograph was taken whilst
on holiday.
What is the Namibian sealing
industry and the department of Fisheries and Marine Resources
afraid tourists will discover photographing Cape fur seals ?
Why did the Ministry of Fisheries
refuse to allow the Namibian Newspaper, access to the seal colony
to objectively witness the "world's last baby seal pup cull on
earth"?
The photographer was repeatedly
asked do you know Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA?
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA as
part of his ongoing conservation work for Cape fur seals,
asked a photographer Neil Herman to volunteer his time to go
to Namibia and film the seal colonies in Namibia.
Neil has flown with Francois Hugo on
numerous occasions documenting the seal populations on numerous
colonies over the past several years, both in South Africa and
Namibia.
The Minister of Fisheries and the Prime
Minister have both seen and discussed photographs taken by Neil,
during my various meeting with govt.
My reasoning for asking Neil to go, was to
ascertain if possible the number of less than one year old seal
pups in the colonies. As recent footage for Cape Cross seal colony,
has showed less than a 1000 seal pups facing a sealing quota of 50
000. The Statement by filmmaker Bart Smithers who was arrested at
Cape Cross two weeks previously for filming the seal
cull, confirms that he saw less than 2000 seals of all age
groups. This needed to be verified and documented.
Sustainable sealing pup quotas
as per Director of Resources BJ van Zyl should not exceed 30% of
the pups born. In order therefore for the Ministry of Fisheries to
award 50 000 pup quota, for the Cape Cross seal colony, there
should be 150 000 pups present at Cape Cross.
Hotel staff where Neil was staying
informed him there were 500 000 seals at Cape Cross.
If there is not, then the
sealing pup quota is not sustainable, and would then be in
violation of the constitution of Namibia.
I had asked Neil to also
legally film the sealing factories and equipment to ascertain the
true value of the assets offered by the Sealing industry to myself
in their 14,2 million US dollar buyout offer, a few weeks
earlier.
Two weeks ago, a journalist and
filmmaker were both arrested for filming the seal cull at Cape
Cross. I have since appointed an attorney to obtain a legal opinion
on the sealing industry, violations of sealing regulations and
offences documented under the Animal Protection Act.
His legal opinion is that the
sealers are both in violation and offences of the Marine Resources
Regulations and the Animal Protection Act which prevents cruelty.
In addition legal opinion is that the Minister's sealing rights for
the Cape Cross Seal reserve is invalid as this colony is under the
jurisdiction of the Minister of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism.
Seal Alert has asked the Namibian
SPCA to arrest and charge the sealers under the offences committed
under the Animal Protection Act, which dates back to 1962. The
executive committee of the Windhoek SPCA have indicated that there
is cruelty in the seal cull (in a written received email), but are
both scared and afraid to send their only female inspector to
arrest the sealers. For fear she will be beaten up by the sealers.
The SPCA has instead sort legal opinion, and have asked Seal Alert
to provide funding for the instruction of an attorney and
consul.
Contact :
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert 27-21-790 8774
Neil Hermann on 082 891 4000
Seal Alert-SA's Attorney Peter Dawson 27-21-462 4340
SPCA's Attorney Lee-Anne Agnew 00264-61-233171
Windhoek SPCA executive committee, Dr Debbie Gibson on 00264-61-264
685
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
sasealion@wam.co.za
http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
- - - - - - - - - -
BONT VOOR DIEREN/ECOSTORM FILMED THE SLAUGHTER
ETC
< - -
www.bontvoordieren.nl/
<- -
Written by Donna Collins
:
SPCA to step in on seal cruelty issue Wednesday 29 july 2009
Seal arrests spark negative reports Thursday, 23 July 2009
* . * . *
Seal
Alert-SA, Media Release 31
July 2009:
High Court Action to
STOP the SEAL CULL
Namibian Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)
as Appointed by the Animal Protection
Act of Namibia since
1962
"We
Will Stop the Seal Cull on the Grounds of Cruelty under the
Act"
few hundred endangered nursing baby seal pups separated from their
mothers
and beaten repeatedly until dead
Please look carefully at the pics above.
After 2 days of the 2009, 139 day sealing season in Namibia. What
you see - is what there is. There does not appear to be more than
1000 seal pups in the colony (the largest seal colony for this
species), facing a govt sealing pup quota of 50 000, for this Cape
Cross seal colony alone.
After 40 days into the 2007 sealing
season, I flew over this colony, and filmed not a single seal left
anywhere in this seal colony.
That fact alone - should disturb all who
reads this. Something is very wrong with govt's population
assessment.
Sealers are exterminating the Cape
fur seal species, like they did previously on all the offshore
islands, causing their permanent extinction of these
colonies.
Since 1962, the Namibian sealing industry
has cruelly slaughtered and beaten to death 2,129, 940
endangered nursing seal pups. Each death an Act of Cruelty under
the law, each offence punishable.
The Namibian newspaper applied for a
permit to view the seal culling objectively was
denied.
allafrica.com/stories.html.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA acceptance
of the 14,2 million US dollar to buy out the Namibian sealing
industry, did what no other govt or organization or individual has
ever succeeded in doing. It stopped the seal cull for two weeks.
(The culling began "about a week ago," after a two-week delay,
Yavuz added -
www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article ).
Since the 15th, it is estimated that a
further 15 000 seals pups were needlessly slaughtered and beaten to
death, because seal supporters found a price of $14 a seal to save
1 million seal pups over the next 10 years, a too high price to
pay.
HSI's false reporting to its 11 million
members on the 17th
www.hsus.org/hsi/condemns_nmibian_seal_slaughter_and_attack_on_observers_071709.html
and again
on the 22nd, www.hsicanada.ca/seals/namibianbuyout.html,
deleting all references to Seal Alert-SA and other false claims,
illustrates one intention, not to support the buy-out.
Seal Alert-SA's media release on the 23rd,
demanding that World Society for the Protection of Animals instruct
its member society in Namibia to charge the Sealers under the
Animal Protection Act of 1962, hours later received the following
response.
sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
On the 24 July 2008, Seal Alert-SA
receives the following email from Dr Debbie Gobson, "We (Namibia
(Windhoek) SPCA Ex. Committee) are going to do what we can to stop
the seal cull – at least until it can be done in a humane manner –
on grounds of cruelty".
On the 28 July 2008, Dr Debbie Gibson
sends Seal Alert-SA another email, "As I
told you on the phone, I had a meeting with the lawyer which I felt
was really very positive. We are going to try 3 fundamental
approaches:
1.
We get the authority from the Henties’ Bay magistrate to stop the
culling on grounds of cruelty. It is not guaranteed that we
will get the authority.
2.
We get the concession holder’s licence revoked, take him/her to
court and hopefully get them a huge fine
3.
We lobby the Minister & PS to change the laws so that the cull
will, ultimately, be stopped."
Seal
Alert-SA appoints its own attorney, for a legal opinion (see
below).
On the 29 July 2009, Seal Alert-SA receives the following
email.
We act on behalf of the Windhoek SPCA, and will be providing legal
advice to the SPCA on this matter.
Section
8 of the Animals Protection Act provides as
follows:
“If
authorised thereto by writing under the hand of the magistrate
of a district,
any
officer or any society for the prevention of cruelty to animals may
in that district – …”
(a)
without warrant and at any time with the consent of the owner or
occupier, or failing such consent on obtaining an order from a
magistrate, enter any premises where any animal is kept, for the
purpose of examining the conditions under which it is so
kept;
(b)
without warrant arrest any person who is suspected on reasonable
grounds of having committed an offence under this Act, if there is
reason to believe that the ends of justice would be defeated by the
delay in obtaining a warrant;
(c)
on the arrest of any person on a charge of an offence under this
Act, seize any animal or thing in the possession or custody of that
person at the time of the arrest and take it forthwith before a
magistrate;
(d)
exercise in respect of any animal the powers conferred by
subsection (1) of section five upon a police officer and in respect
of such exercise of those powers, the provisions of the said
section shall mutatis mutandis apply.
On
the 31st, Seal Alert-SA receives the following email from SPCA's
attorney is Namibia,
"Francois, We cannot act without the further instructions of
the SPCA. (Please bear in mind that our firm acts on the SPCA’s
instructions, and our formal mandate comes from them.) We have
sought counsel’s opinion on both the APA and “arresting” the
cullers as suggested by you, as well as the possibility of an
urgent application on the basis of the culling being contrary to
the provisions of the Marine regulations.
We
will revert back to you, once we have consulted with the client. A
consultation was held between Adv Corbett and myself yesterday
morning and we decided it was not necessary to put together a
written brief before he commenced looking at the matter. He has all
the relevant information, as well as all correspondence forwarded
by you and other interested parties.
Can
we confirm that your organisation will only provide the SPCA with
funding if your approach of “arresting” the cullers is
followed?
Francois
Hugo of Seal Alert-SA, who has no
locus standi in
Namibia as I am not a Namibian citizen or authorised to act under
the Animal Protection Act. Is therefore required to work with the
Namibian SPCA to bring about an end to the seal cull through the
legal method of court action. Besides he costs of obtaining a
magistrate's warrant of arrest, and an urgent application to review
the culling, a high court review of the entire seal
culling/conservation issue might need to be addressed
urgently.
The
Namibian SPCA and its attorney's are asking me to fund this. Which
I have undertaken to do within reason. An amount in excess of 500
000 is needed for high court and legal expenses.
If
any supporter reading this, is interested in being part of this
ground breaking attempt to legally end this "last baby seal cull on
earth", and can assist with legal funding, to please contact
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA at
sasealion@wam.co.za,
urgently.
Money
is what will stop it now. I ask all those that made pledges for the
buyout to please reconsider the above, and get in contact with me
for the necessary banking details.
For
the Seals
Francois
Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790
8774
* . * . *
Ecologist Film Unit journalist
beaten by seal hunters
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 26th July
2009
Seal Alert demands Namibia SPCA charge the sealers with cruelty and
place seal colony into their custody
Seal Alert-SA
Instructs Namibia SPCA to immediately Arrest Sealers and take Seal
Colony into "Custody"
Dear Executive Committee of the
Windhoek SPCA in Namibia,
I refer to your email dated 24 July 2009.
As the SPCA executive committee has already confirmed
cruelty
at Cape Cross, and
as such advised Seal Alert-SA in writing of such decision, they are
therefore obligated under the Animal Protection Act to immediately
proceed to the Cape Cross seal colony, arrest and charge the
sealers with cruelty and take the seal colony into custody as per
the Act.
It should have already taken place. I
request that this is done by no later than Monday, 27th July
2009.
The request by the Executive Committee of
the SPCA to WSPA, NSPCA and Seal Alert to "Would you be able to
help us with funds if we have to pay for legal assistance?
Advice would also be gratefully accepted" is accepted. However this
is a side issue, and should not prevent the immediate action of
preventing further cruelty nor the failure to arrest the sealers
for said cruelty which took place on the 16th July 2009.
On the 16th day, after the seal
harvest season opened on 1 July 2009, with a sealing pup quota of
50 000 for Cape Cross seal colony for the 2009 sealing season in
Namibia. A journalist from the UK and an award winning
film-maker from South Africa, witnessed and video recorded,
repeated acts of cruelty to the seals at Cape Cross. The two were
subsequently arrested for trespassing in a marine restricted area,
to which they pleaded guilty and were fined. Some of the video
evidence was confiscated by state authorities and some of the video
evidence was not, and is now publicly available on
websites and the internet. www.bontvoordieren.nl .
See newspaper quotes, www.google.com//article/ and ww.informante.web.na.
The SPCA is required to seek authority of
a magistrate to obtain this confiscated video evidence of seal
cruelty seized by the Minister of Fisheries or state. As this
evidence contains animal cruelty.
The eye witness and video evidence taken
out of Namibia and seen by the SPCA, WSPA and NSPCA clearly shows
the following, 1) The seal rights holder's seal-clubbers were
clearly operating and conducting the cruelty outside of their
permitted jurisdiction (which is well beyond the high water mark).
2) The sealers were clearly in violation of State sealing
regulations in the following instances a) no sticking of the
seal in the heart immediately after clubbing was evident as
required by the regulations after multiple clubbing of various
seals during a period of at least 10-20 minutes were filmed. b)
Numerous seals were clubbed repeatedly on various part of the body,
inflicting pain, stress and cruelty, which is in violations of the
regulation which requires one club to the head to achieve
instantaneous death and the immediate piercing of the heart to
ensure a humane death, free from suffering. c) Sea Fisheries
inspector, identified as Claudius shutte ikeberg failed in his duty
as per the regulations which require him to ascertain that a seal
pup that has been clubbed is dead.
See official reply, by the Ministry
of Fisheries to the deposition by Seal Alert-SA against the seal
cull in Namibia on the 14 September 2006, it reads, "The so-called
conservation groups asked why female seals are not harvested. The
reproductive cycle of the Cape fur seal extends over a 12 month
period. Consequently, all adult females are either nursing a
new-born pup or are pregnant during the seal harvesting season.
Therefore harvesting of female seals would endanger the life of new
born and the unborn pups. Seal Alert-SA has called an end to what
they claim to be "cruel way of slaughtering" seal pups. The method
of clubbing pups have been found to be the most humane method
worldwide. The best method to slaughter any animal must always be
used and improved. Namibia is a land of good morals where the life
of creatures (seals) enjoys a high level of respect and protection.
We use methods intended to result in instantaneous death of pups.
Perhaps the so-called conservation groups are confusing our method
with those practiced in the north Atlantic. Be assured that such
practices is non-existent in Namibia".
The video evidence clearly proves numerous
cases of cruelty where seal pups had been clubbed which did not
result in instantaneous death, even after repeated illegal clubbing
or beating.
The Marine Resources Act of 2001, define a
seal pup as a seal less than one year of age. The Namibian Minister
of Fisheries has granted two seal rights holders rights and a quota
for 2009 to harvest 85 000 seal pups at Cape Cross Seal Colony and
at Wolf/Atlas Bay Seal Colonies. Sealing season runs from 1
July - November 15. Sealing started two weeks late this year, and
as such sealers have 105 days remaining to fill their quota. Due to
production facilities at the processing plant at Henties Bay
sealers will be required to club to death over 800 seal pups, every
day for the next 105 days. In light of this mass cruelty to be
inflicted daily.
The SPCA in Namibia is legally bound under the
Animal Protection Act of 1962, as an officer of a society, with the
society defined as the SPCA, as authorised by the Minister of
Justice, to immediately with any animal or wild animal (seals)
where there are reasonable grounds to believe that an animal needs
immediate care or if it is reasonably necessary to prevent cruelty
to or suffering of such an animal, seize such animal and take it
into the custody of the society. The officer of the society
(SPCA) requires the authority in writing under the hand of the
magistrate of the district.
In this regard. The Animal Protection Act is
very clear. Offences in respect of Animals, "any person who;
ill-treats, neglects, infuriates, tortures or maims or cruelly
beats, kicks, goads or terrifies any animal is guilty of a criminal
offence, and must be brought before a police charge office and
charged under the Act. Including the "owner" or sealing
rights holders.
Is is therefore the lawful duty of the SPCA under the
Animal Protection Act, who have already as at 11.06am on the 24th
July 2009,indicated their official assessment of animal cruelty, as
stated, "We (Namibia (Windhoek) SPCA Ex. Committee) are going to do
what we can to stop the seal cull – at least until it can be done
in a humane manner – on grounds of cruelty". Are therefore duty
bound to arrest the sealers and seal rights holder for the Cape
Cross seal colony and take them to the police station and
officially charge them under the act, and in addition, immediately
request a magistrate to grant the SPCA the authority to immediately
place the Cape Cross seal colony into "custody", as per the act, to
prevent future cruelty, which in all likelihood would involve
a written notice to be posted on the gate the sealers use to access
the seal colony at Cape Cross.
As the sealing regulations and methods are the same
for the Wolf/Atlas Bay seal colony, such a written notice/authority
must be included for this seal colony, and the seal colony taken
into SPCA "custody" via a written notice.
Aspects of the cruelty, will be discussed later once,
the sealers have been arrested and charged and the seal
colonies are taken into "custody" via written authority of a
magistrate as per the Act and Minister of Justice.
As Seal Alert-SA has been informed of this cruelty, as
agreed by the Namibian SPCA on the 24th July 2009 (see above). The
SPCA is required to immediately proceed to the Cape Cross Seal
colony on or before 7am on the 27th July 2009, and effect its
arrest of the sealers and their being charged at a police
station.
I await written confirmation of these arrests by the
Executive Committee of the SPCA Windhoek/Namibia and the written
authority of the magistrate ordering the SPCA to place the Cape
Cross and Wolf/Atlas Bay seal colony into SPCA's "custody" as
prescribed by the Act.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
sasealion@wam.co.za
sealalertsa.wordpress.com
See below for supporting info related to these cruelty cases
(naturally I can forward all necessary copies upon
request)
Under common english law, the Cape fur seals, as wildlife, are rus
nullius. Res
nullius (lit: nobody's
thing) is
a Latin term derived from Roman
law whereby res
(objects in the legal
sense, anything that can be owned, even slaves, but not subjects in
law such as citizens) are not yet the object of rights of any
specific subject. Such items are considered ownerless property and
are usually free to be owned. Examples of res
nullius in the
socio-economic sphere are wild animals or abandoned property.
Finding can also be a means of occupation (i.e. vesting ownership),
since a thing completely lost or abandoned is res nullius, and
therefore belonged to the first taker. In English
common
law, for
example, forest
laws and game
laws have
specified which animals are res
nullius and
when they become someone's property. Wild animals are regarded
as res
nullius, and as
not being the subject of private property until reduced into
possession by being killed or captured.
"the
Act" means the Animals Protection Act, 1962 (Act 71 of
1962);
To
consolidate and amend the laws relating to the prevention of
cruelty to animals.
1.
DEFINITIONS
In this Act, unless the content otherwise
indicates:
"Minister"
means the Minister of Justice.
"animals"
means any equine, bovine, sheep, goat, pig, fowl, ostrich, dog,
cat, or other domestic animal or bird, or any wild animal, wild
animal, wild bird or reptile which is in captivity or under control
of any person.
"owner"
in relation to an animal, includes any person having the
possession, charge, custody or control of that
animal.
"officer"
means an officer of a society;
"society"
means a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals as
intended in section 8(1) of the Act.
2.
(1) If authorised thereto in writing under the hand of the
magistrate of a district, any officer of any society may in that
district if it appears that there are reasonable grounds to believe
that an animal found in that district needs immediate care or if it
is reasonably necessary to prevent cruelty to or suffering of such
an animal, seize such animal and take it into the custody of the
society.
. OFFENCES IN RESPECT OF ANIMALS - (1) Any person
who:
(a
)overloads, overdrives, overrides, ill-treats, neglects,
infuriates, tortures or maims or cruelly beats, kicks, goads or
terrifies any animal; or
(q)
causes, procures or assists in the commission or omission of any of
the aforesaid acts or, being the owner of any animal, permits the
commission or omission of any such act; or
(r)
by wantonly or unreasonably or negligently doing or omitting to do
any act or causing or procuring the commission or omission of any
act, causes any unnecessary suffering to any animal;
or
Namibian
Constitution.
|
|
Article 100 - Sovereign Ownership
of Natural Resources Land, water and natural resources below and above the surface of the land and in the continental shelf and within the territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone of Namibia shall belong to the State if they are not otherwise lawfully owned. On the 14 September 2006, High Commission of Namibia sent an official reply to Seal Alert from the Ministry. The Ministry claims."Chapter 11, Article 95 of the Namibian Constitution, harvesting seals is thus a constitutional mandate". |
South Africa has a similar constitution, and a similar sustainable use mandate. Public Protector Advocate ML Mushwana on 15 November 2005, tabled the following report in Parliament. Report 51"on an investigation into allegations of improper conduct of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in connection with the conservation and protection of the Cape fur seal". His findings were, "The department has a constitutional obligation to protect and promote the conservation of South Africa's seal resource".
New Era (state owned newspaper in Namibia) published an article on 12 July 2006, "in defence of the seal harvest", and quoted Minister of Fisheries Abraham Iyambo. "People complain about the methods, but we have not received suggestions on better methods" and, "There is no other appropriate method. We have tried shooting pups and it's not a good method".
On the 14 September 2006, High Commission of Namibia sent an official reply to Seal Alert from the Ministry.
"Harvesting operations of seals is governed by the regulations of Marine Resources Act of 2001".
A symposium on sustainable use of wildlife resources in China in November 1999, saw Namibian Ministry of Fisheries resource director BJ Van Zyl. Present a paper titled, "Culling of seals in Namibia : A Conservation Necessity".
Since independence in 1990. Sealing methods were regulated through the South African Sea Birds and Seals Protection Act no.46 of 1973 and the sealing regulations 1976. This legislation was still in force in Namibia, until seals and seabirds were incorporated into the Marine Resources Act of 2001.
This Act states, "To provide for control over certain islands and rocks (note the mainland is not mentioned); for the protection, and the control of the capture and killing of seabirds and seals". "islands" means any islands or rocks specified in schedule 1 (Again there is no reference or jurisdiction to mainland seal colonies). Powers of the Minister in connection with islands, seabirds and seals and products of seabirds and seals. Prohibitions/Permit/Jurisdiction - "upon any island or within territorial waters or along the coast between the low water mark as defined in section 1 of the Sea-shore Act, 1935, and the high water mark as so defined, pursue or shoot at or wilfully disturb, kill or capture any sea bird or seal, exempt with a permit".
It is therefore clear the Minister of Fisheries powers and jurisdiction ends at the high tide water mark
in the Marine Resources Act regulations in 2001, under "protected species", it reconfirms this limiting jurisdiction
section (c) above clearly states "on the shore seaward of the high water mark".
Although Section 2 (2) of the Marine Regulations 2001, states "A holder of a right, which must be driven away from sea", does not in fact state this relates to the mainland or that it permits the sealers to drive the seals beyond the jurisdiction.
It is therefore clear that the sealers in order to harvest the seals on the mainland, are themselves violating the permit conditions.
In addition the sign-board at the Cape Cross Seal colony implies this Seal Reserve is under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, as displayed on state sign-board
- - - - - - -
Written by Donna Collins
- Thursday, 23 July 2009
ABOUT 120
international media organisations have released a wave of negative
reports on Namibia following the story about the arrest of two
journalists filming seal clubbing at the Cape Cross Seal Colony in
Walvis Bay last week.
Some of the reports imply that thousands of tourists who visit and
film seals at the Cape Cross especially from July to November every
year are at risk of arrest.
“Then every tourist who visits and films seals at the Cape Cross
Seal Reserve or any of the other 14 more remote seal colonies in
Namibia, is guilty of the same offence, and can expect to be
assaulted, punched in the face, locked up have their camera’s
stolen and charged with a jail sentence,” one of the reports
said.
Seal Alert’s Francois Hugo told Informanté from the Cape that the
seal cull doesn’t benefit the fisheries, because nursing seals are
being clubbed.
He said the whole barbaric practice must be
stopped.
www.theecologist.co.uk/News/newsroundup/ecologistfilmunitjournalistbeatenbysealhunters
By Animalrights
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA the driving force for the past three years behind the anti-seal hunt campaign. Wants it ended. Hatem Yavuz the Australian fur buyer representative of the Namibian sealing industry wants to sell out....
Helping Animals Worldwide - http://helpinganimalsworldwide.blogspot.com/
| Helping Animals Worldwide: Namibian seal update.Video! |
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 23 July 2009
Seal Alert-SA 'Asks'
Namibian Govt,
What do you 'Want'
to end Seal Cull ?
Protected Marine Species in
Namibia
Hatem Yavuz, a leading
buyer of wildlife skins has stated he would love to acquire African
penguin skins. As the skins make the best fur jackets. Although
Namibian govt lists the African penguin as a marine resource and is
a consumer of commercial fish. Shares the same UN-CITES appendix II
endangered species rating as the Cape fur seal. The Namibian govt
has declared Penguins, most seabirds, 36 species of marine mammals
(seals, dolphins and whales) and great white sharks -
protected species.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA
asks the Namibian govt what it needs to declare the Cape fur seals
a protected species and to stop harvesting or culling ?
Over the past month over 400
media publications around the world have published negative reports
on Namibia's seal cull. Many more on websites, blogs, chat rooms
and twitter. This cannot be good in times of a global
recession or for Namibia's tourism. The world wants the
Namibian seal cull to end. Seal product imports banned in the US
since 1972, South Africa since 1990 and now in the EU in 2009.
Listed by UN-CITES in 1977 and 1990 by Namibia as an Appendix II
endangered species. news.google.co.za/news-namibia-seal .
A video of the seal pup
clubbing has been smuggled out of Namibia.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA
the driving force for the past three years behind the anti-seal
hunt campaign. Wants it ended. Hatem Yavuz the Australian fur buyer
representative of the Namibian sealing industry wants to sell
out.
Seal Alert-SA's asks the
Namibian govt. What does govt need to officially end Namibia's seal
cull and protect the species ?
If you are considering HSI or
IFAW or WSPA's proposal. To independently monitor the seal pup
clubbing cruelty. The Namibian govt will be making a grave
mistake. It will simply exploit the situation. To appeal for more
funding to end seal hunts. Exposing Namibia to international
negative images and boycotts for decades to come.
If govt wants the
seal-clubbers retrained, reskilled or re-employed. Give me your
requirements.
If govt feels the seal cull is
necessary to protect commercial fishing. Would you consider a
moratorium to assess whether nature, jackals, sea-birds, drownings,
starvation and collapsed fisheries - more than adequately 'manages'
the seal population, and prevents high growth ?
Does the govt need funding for
further conservation research?
Would govt accept a
buy-out of the industry, and if accepted would govt then officially
end the seal cull ?
Does govt need evidence of
sealing irregularities in order to cancel or withdraw sealing
rights ?
Does govt need the annual seal
quota levies paid of N$2 a pup or N$6 a bull ?
Would govt accept
re-populating seals to extinct former seal islands, and funding, to
assess whether this would naturally manage the seal population
?
I await your response.
Please give me the opportunity to meet your requirements to
end the seal cull in Namibia.
Seal Alert-SA is prepared to
accept any written proposal received from the Namibian govt to end
the Cape fur seal cull.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
sasealion@wam.co.za
sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
- - - - - - -
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 19 July 2009
Assaulted 'Kodak
Moment' Tourists In Namibia
Now Home Safely,
Forced Guilty Pleas
'Bogus' & Extortion
11.07am 20 August
2005 (middle
of seal culling season)
12.06am 10 August 2007
The 'Kangaroo Court' and assault and theft of film equipment on two
foreign tourist film-makers who entered Namibia to view and
film the seals at Namibia's biggest tourist attraction which
earns Namibian govt N$9 million annually. Was a PR nightmare for
Namibia's tourist industry.
Over 120 media
organizations around the world released negative news reporting the
next day, such as, "Namibia seal hunters 'clubbed journalists',
seized footage",
www.monstersandcritics.com/Namibia_seal_hunters_clubbed_journalists_seized_footage.
With a govt Fisheries Official
present whilst Australian Hatem Yavuz's Sealer's assaulted the
tourists in Namibia. Demands immediate official
investigation.
The assault and theft of
the tourists occurred less than 250 metres from the newly
constructed tourist walk-away. Constructed recently with govt
funding to prevent exactly this type of incident. With tourists
wondering into the seal colony and disturbing the breeding seals.
As noted by the following govt funded website, "Consequently, this
encourages tourists to climb into the seal enclosure for a better
view and at the same time causing massive disturbance to the seal
colony."
www.nacoma.org.na/Key_Activities/MatchingGrants.htm
Over 50 percent of the 100 000
tourists visiting and filming the seal colony at Cape Cross
annually are during seal culling season between July and
November 15, each year - now at risk.
The Namibian govt's failure to
arrest and charge the sealing assailants with a Fisheries official
present must also be fully investigated.
The incident whereby the two
tourists/journalists/filmmaker who were in police custody with a
Fisheries Inspector official present. Who were then punched in the
face by a man travelling in another vehicle, and who was not
arrested or charged, needs a full investigation.
Govt's charging of the
tourists under the Marine Resources Act of
2000.
"Trespassing in a marine reserve", which carries a maximum sentence
of 20 years in jail or a N$500 000 fine, is bogus. Even the lesser
charge that the two tourists/filmmakers were forced to plead guilty
to, "entering a restricted area without permission" and were then
fined, 12 months in jail or N$10 000 each, with half suspended, is
equally bogus.
The guilty plea was simply out
of fear for their lives and desire to leave Namibia.
The Marine Resources Act
jurisdiction ends at the high-tide water mark. Seal clubbing
activity actually drives the seal herd's illegally outside of their
permitted jurisdiction. Inland into the Ministry of Environmental
and Tourism jurisdiction. The original wording of this Act, came
from the former Seal Protection Act legislated in 1973 and still
enforced until 2000 in Namibia. This "Act" was written and applied
to sealing activities on seal herd's living offshore on islands,
and as such none of these new mainland seal colonies that have
developed due to sealing disturbance on the islands, was protected
under this act. The Ministry of Fisheries had therefore no
legal right to charge the tourists.
This Cape Cross Seal Reserve
is actually under the Minister of Environment & Tourism, who
charges the tourists a fee to enter the seal colony to view and
film seals. It was his mandate to decide whether or not the
tourists contravened any regulations.
The seal colony is open to
tourists all year round. The Minister of Environment and Tourism
has remained silent.
As reported in the
Namibian, www.namibian.com.na/news/full-story/archive/2009/july/article/foreign-journalists-arrested-for-filming-seal-cull/ .Chief
Crime Investigation Co-ordinator, Chief Inspector Charles
Sibolile, arrest of the tourists under the Namibian
Marine Resources Act. Stating, “The Cape Cross area is closed
during the culling season and any entry is prohibited unless the
Minister of Fisheries gives permission" is equally bogus.
The Ministry of Environment
and Tourism has a 'ticket' permit costing N$80 to view the seal
colony, as this seal colony is open to paying tourists all-year
round (see pics above of tourists standing in seal colony at Cape
Cross and filming).
Sibolile further remarks
to The Namibian. The two foreign journalists might however
also face charges for not applying for permission to film at the
Namibia Film Commission and for allegedly entering Namibia with a
tourism visa and for having failed to apply for accreditation at
the Ministry of Information. “These people did not approach the
Namibian Film Commission for permission to film and unless they
obtained temporary work permits through another source, they have
been illegally filming or working in the country,” Wilma Deetlefs,
Director in the Ministry told The Namibian. “These people will now
have to answer to charges against them and it appears as if the
Namibia Film Commission will also lay a charge that they were
filming in the country without permission.”. Is also complete
nonsense and bogus, as these two filmmakers entered Namibia as
tourists on a tourist visa.
The above comments are also
nonsensical, Particular as reported by AFP last year on July
6, 2007, in which "Moses Maurihungirire, director of resources
management in the fisheries and marine resources ministry, would
not comment on whether there was an official ban on reporters in
the hunting region, but reporters often have been chased away from
the remote and well-guarded sites.". www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn.html .
It is therefore clear that the Namibian
govt would not grant permission to film the clubbing of endangered
seal pups whose exported products have been banned in the US and
EU.
If these claims is true. Then every
tourist who visits and films seals at the Cape Cross Seal Reserve
or any of the other 14 more remote seal colonies in
Namibia, is guilty of the same offence, and can expect to be
assaulted and have their camera's stolen and charged with 20 year
jail sentences.,Particularly those professional filmmakers or
journalists taking a holiday to Namibia.
The only explanation why govt and the
Namibian sealing industry firmly put their 'stinky seal
clubbing feet in their mouth' and caused an international PR
nightmare that will cost the tourism industry in Namibia millions,
is because of the excellent lawful anti-seal hunt campaign Seal
Alert-SA has been waging against the industry for years.
The Namibian sealing and travel industry
must realize that Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA is simply not
going to go away, until the Cape fur seal hunt has been officially
stopped. I have at least the next 20 years ahead of me to shut this
banned seal clubbing industry down.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
sasealion@wam.co.za
http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
Latest info The sunday
Independent 19 July 09
- - - - - - - -
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 17 July
2009
HSUS's Genesis &
Bridget Bardot
'Green' Award Winning Film-maker
Sits in Namibian Jail
Charged for filming the US, EU & SA Banned Namibian Seal
Pup Cull
Bart Smithers of South Africa
According to AFP in Windhoek, Journalists Bart Smithers and Jim
Wickens are being held in police cells at Henties Bay, following
their arrest at 7am for filming a seal colony, and will appear in
court on Friday. news.namibiaenvironmentarrestseals
.
France's Le Monde newspaper also ran the story,
www.lemonde.fr/web/depeches0,14-0,39-39876257@7-58,0.html.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA is
concerned that the charges are bogus, as according to AFP, Namibia
police spokesperson Angula Amulungu, "they had allegedly
contravened the Fisheries and Marine Resources Act".
Contravened what ? Approaching to
close to a seal colony being clubbed to death ?
Although the Minister of Fisheries
grants sealers the right to club seal pups. The Minister's
jurisdiction ends at the high-tide water mark. The seal-clubbers
practice of driving seal herd's inland away from the seashore to
club them. Is what in fact contravenes the Fisheries jurisdiction.
The Minister of Fisheries has no legal basis to charge the two
journalists, as this land upon which the Cape Cross seal colony
sits, is managed by the Minister of the Environment and Tourism.
The Cape Cross Colony is open to tourists all year round.
The arrest and charge is therefore unlawful, as is the
assault and damage to very expensive camera equipment by the
sealers.
Is any tourist safe in Namibia now ?
Should foreign embassy's not issue warnings advising their citizens
to avoid visiting any of the remote seal colonies in Namibia. For
fear of being falsely assaulted and beaten for mistakenly being
journalists.
On what basis were these two
journalists, who until their arrest, could have been any foreign
tourists who just happen to approach too close to a seal colony
with their camera's. On what basis, did the Namibian sealers chase
after these "tourist/journalist's" and attempt to run them over,
assault and beat them and damage valuable private property.
Particular as reported by AFP last year on July 6, 2007, in which
"Moses Maurihungirire, director of resources management in the
fisheries and marine resources ministry, would not comment on
whether there was an official ban on reporters in the hunting
region". www.washingtonpost.com_pf.html .
Bart Smithers received no payment for
undertaking this dangerous assignment. He did it because he is
deeply concerned for the future survival of the Cape fur seal in
Namibia.
Bart Smithers a long time friend and
film-maker of Francois Hugo's efforts to end the Namibian seal
cull, sent the following two SMS's today, "Don't call, big shit,
being arrested, they wanted to kill us ... clubbers went crazy.
managed to hide my phone, will contact soon, the embassies know.
B"
and later in the day Bart
phoned and said the police are taking away his phone, and hurriedly
sent another text message, "clubbing was hectic, they randomly
club seals in large herd, no knives etc. What's more the chap that
was the most hectic is from the ministry of fisheries name is
claudius shutte ikeberg".
Bart Smithers a film-maker and
producer of many 50/50 SABC 2 wildlife programs, including three on
the Cape fur seals, and who during one program, was present at the
historic meeting between Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA and
the Prime Minister Nahas Angula in 2007.
A few months earlier,in Hollywood,
US. Independent filmmaker Bart Smithers walked away with the
Brigitte Bardot award for best film or television production in the
international category of the Genesis awards for environmental
awareness journalism and media creation. The award-winning film
“Hunters Become Hunted”, which was flighted on SABC 2’s 50/50,
documents the attempts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to
halt the Japanese whaling fleet from fishing illegally in the
Antarctic during its 2005/6 campaign. Bart was introduced to Paul
Watson and Seashepherd International by Francois Hugo of Seal
Alert-SA. www.bizcommunity.com/InBrief .
The Genesis Award is run by HSUS
Hollywood office. Every year, the Genesis Awards pays tribute to the major news and
entertainment media for producing outstanding works such as these,
which raise public understanding of animal issues. As much as film,
television, print and the arts reflect societal attitudes, they
also help shape and change those attitudes. The mass media have the
power to spotlight animal issues to vast audiences—literally at the
speed of light. So it is within the major media—with its
influential voices and its huge audience—that the
Hollywood
office of
The HSUS concentrates its efforts. The Genesis Awards recognizes
that the media hold an important key to a more enlightened and
civilized society.
www.hsus.org/about_us/the_genesis_awards/20th_anniversary_genesis_awards/Celebrating-the-Major-Media.html.
A member of HSUS Hollywood.org, sent
Seal Alert-SA the following pledge on July 1, "Dear Francois, I
would like to pledge $30 to help end the slaughter of seals in
Namibia. I hope you are able to raise all $14 million US
dollars to stop it.
It remains to be seen whether HSUS
or Seashepherd will come to the assistance of Bart Smither's and
Jim Wickens in jail in Namibia, to which Bart has contributed
massively to their respective causes in the past. The websites of
HSUS and Seashepherd make no mention of the Namibian seal cull or
of Bart's arrest.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA asks
the Bridget Bardot Foundation who honoured Bart with its award to
seek French intervention, and assist in seeking the two
journalist's release. I am naturally concerned for their safety
under police arrest.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA also
received the following email today from Hatem Yavuz, it
reads,
From:
hatemyavuz@superonline.com
To: Seal alert Francios
hugo .
Sent: Thursday, July
16, 2009 6:23 PM
Subject:
Re: S-Day for Namibian
Seals Begun.
Hello Francios, Thanks for your email.
You may put it on record if you wish. I rcvd ur offer for halting
anys seal harvest........yet it is much more expensive than you
think according to your calculation and may jeopardize my business
and my relations with the fisheries.
I have understood two issues here: You as seal alert-Francios Hugo
is and seems to be the most legitimate activist I personally
encountered, yet unfortunatley you have been left alone In your
venture Which has receeded your influence worldwide.
I personally have newly understood, the morale issues by the main
activists are based on making NOISE for DONATIONS, rather than the
real cause.
This has shown YOU and WE, are alone on this planet since both
sides of the extremes are not of value interms of
ethics.........those who see and believe sailing on flashy boats
and ships are basically enjoying the tripple digit income and
million dollar offices for the sake WE and companies like Yavuz to
do what we do, for the sake of Seal Shephard, animal australia and
what's very ironic HSI.
We will do what we have to, you will proceed naturally( which the
activists of naturellly would not know the meaning of ).Good luck,
just remember that 'no one is the real winner on any side of this
battle except the battle itself'. " Churchill".....to have peace,
you must be ready for war. "Ataturk" Peace at home, is peace in the
world.
Don't forget, The TUrkish nation is adopting this rule by enforcing
energy pipe lines( nabucco, btc, and others) through its territory
to avoid future wars, we are also in this process and we don't want
to confront a wise persone like yoursself, yet you as an individual
must understand States have an agenda, like it or not. We also have
to deal with our situation and obligation(s).
Regards Hatem YAVUZ YAVUZ Group.
What remains now to be seen, is
whether HSUS, IFAW and WSPA will come to the immediate aid of these
two journalists or ignore these two, like they have to date done
with Seal Alert-SA's attempt to buyout the sealing industry two
weeks ago, which effectively ignored the plight of the Cape fur
seals.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA's also
received the following email from Claire Bass of World Society for
the Protection of Animals (WSPA) at 11.05am,
"Francois,I
am very disappointed to see that – less than 48 hours after we
spoke and I agreed to speak to my HSI colleagues and our legal
people about your plans – you have reverted back to back-stabbing
NGOs, including HSI and WSPA. Having spoken to Mark Glover we
agreed that we would contact you to arrange a call but I’m afraid
your latest outburst has destroyed any foundation we may have had
to talk professionally or civilly about this.
I especially resent your assertion that HSI (Rebecca Aldworth) runs
a ‘PR’ anti-sealing campaign – having witnessed first hand HSI’s
incredible and successful campaign to secure a ban in the EU this
really could not be further from the truth.
I cannot imagine how you think you can ask us to work alongside and
support you and then just hours later launch a bitter (and
unfounded) organisational and personal attack.
Furthermore, in addition to several legal problems which have been
identified with your $14million plan, your volatile and
unreasonable behaviour would prevent us from collaborating with you
on this.
Please be advised that we are developing our own plans to address
this horribly cruel and unnecessary hunt and will keep you informed
as they progress. I’m sorry you have created this unpleasant
situation.
I would urge you in future to try to stop your passion and fury
from making enemies with people who are on the same side as
you.Claire".
Naturally Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA remains
deeply concerned with this arrest.
For the
Seals
Francois Hugo Seal
Alert-SA
27-21-790
8874
http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
- - - - - - -
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 16th
July 2009:
Breaking News : Namibian
Sealers turn Clubs on Undercover Film-Makers
Seal Alert-SA, Media
Release, 16 July 2009
Namibian Sealers turn
Clubs on undercover Film-makers
Details
are sketchy. In Namibia near or around Cape Cross Seal
Colony today at 7am, Namibian seal pup clubbers, were filmed
killing seal pups. For which they have no permit to harvest.
Namibian seal clubbers then assaulted the film-crew. A South
African well known film-maker Bart Smithers and a Jim Wickens of
Eco-storm, a British citizen. They were beaten up by the sealers,
and then arrested and put in police custody in a vehicle. It
has been further reported sealers then club into the Police
vehicle and further beat up the film-makers. Both are now
being held at the Police Station in Henties Bay.
The British High
Commission in Namibia has been contacted. The release of the men
has been called for.
A British investigative journalist and his South African fixer have
today been violently assaulted by seal hunters and arrested by
police whilst documenting the controversial Namibian seal
cull.
Jim Wickens, a reporter with the Brighton-based Ecostorm agency,
and Bart Smithers, a freelance cameraman and fixer, were this
morning attacked by a group of seal hunters armed with clubs before
having their video camera equipment stolen in the Cape Cross Seal
Reserve, Western Namibia.
The team, working with Dutch NGO Bontvoordieren, are understood to
have been filming the killing of seals for some twenty minutes
before a group of hunters approached and assaulted them -
reportedly punching them to the ground and hitting them with
clubs.
Their cameras and video footage were also seized in the incident,
which happened about 7am this morning.
Police subsequently arrived before arresting the pair on suspicion
of trespass and obstruction.
According to Jim Wickens, a seal hunter again attacked them whilst
they were being held in a police vehicle.
They pair are currently being held at a local police station.
Andrew Wasley, co-director of Ecostorm, said: "We are at present
working with the British High Commission in Namibia to establish
the full picture and secure the release of our team. Clearly this
was a violent and unwarranted attack on two journalists doing their
job - gathering information and pictures of the highly secretive
Namibian seal hunt."
He continued: "As well as calling for the immediate release of Jim
Wickens and Bart Smithers we want the Namibian authorities to
investigate the assaults and theft of equipment"
Bontvoordieren - and a growing number of international campaigners
- are calling for the immediate release of the pair from police
custody.
http://www.bontvoordieren.nl/
PLEASE CONTACT :
Andrew Wasley (Ecostorm) +44 (0)7977 239406
info@eco-storm.com
Claudia Linssen (Bontvoordieren) +31 206766600
info@bontvoordieren.nl
ENDS
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
* . * . *
Write your own letter to
, , ,
Letter Maria capefursealsupporter:
Dear Sirs,
We hear that Jim Wickens, of Brighton's Ecostorm Agency and Bart
Smithers, freelance cameraman, both witnesses of illegal seal
clubbing, were severely attacked by the seal killers.
Instead of arresting the violent attackers, your police took
Messrs. Wickens en Smithers into custody!
We ask you to release them immediately and to give them back their
full equipment.
At the same time, we would ask you to put finally an end to the
eco-terrorism the Namibian seal clubbers are committing.
Thanking you in advance ,
Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Maria
Seal
Pup Clubbing Begun - S-Day for Namibian Seals Begun
Article in 1993 where Namibian
govt offered IFAW to buy them out – IFAW refused, sealing industry
invested and the seal killing increased
S-Day for Namibia’s seals began on Monday 13th July 2009. Slaughter
day, Sealing day, Seal day or Sick day, call it what you
will.
Instead of an invasion by seal supporters pledging $14 to buyout
the industry – the endangered Cape fur seals breeding colonies were
invaded by men with clubs earning $100 a month.
A 5-ton truck off-loaded 200-300 slaughtered and clubbed to death
seal pups at the Henties Bay Sealing factory, belonging to seal
concession holder for Cape Cross, Albert Brink. Who according to a
media report in 1993 was a former nature conservation official for
the Namibian government.
Since that govt offer to IFAW to buyout the industry in 1993. Where
the sealing quota was half of what it is today. 28 sealing workers
were each paid $100 a month. Namibia’s sealing industry has
slaughtered and clubbed to death 1 million seal pups, invested $4,5
million in seal processing factories, secured long term sealing
rights for another 1 million seal pups by 2019 and now employ 97
seal clubbing workers.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA’s appeal for the Humane Society
International’s 9 million members or International Fund for Animal
Welfare’s 3 million members or Seashepherd International or the
World Society for the Protection of Animal’s members to come
on-board – received either no comment or total refusal.
A fine world the 21st Century is turning out to be.
Especially for the endangered Cape fur seal pups at the tip of
Africa.
Frans Tsheehama of the Namibian fisheries and marine resources
ministry faxed official statement to the media on 6 July 2009.
Informing the media that the sealing season had started on July 1.
As reported by over 100 media publications around the world, with
headlines reading, “Namibian Seal Hunt to Go On, 90,000 to be
Clubbed”,
http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2009/07/06/namibian-seal-hunt-to-go-on-90000-to-be-clubbed.html
Turned out by Day 12 of the 139 day sealing season, to be one big
fat govt-lie.
Held to ransom by one individual’s acceptance of the $14 million
dollar sealing industry buyout offer. With one deal-breaker
pre-condition. Not a single seal pup to be clubbed or killed.
Whilst he tries to raise pledges from around the world.
The Namibian govt’s big fat lie goes further. “The cull is needed
to protect fisheries”. Yet, did and said nothing when Australian
Hatem Yavuz Namibian Sealing industry only killed and bought 23 000
pup skins on an 85 000 pup quota to “protect fisheries”. Losing
govt levies on each 62 000 ‘non -fish eating’ seal pups not
harvested.
In fact costing the commercial fishing industry billions of
dollars, who equally said nothing. When non-culled baby seal pups
that remained continued to allegedly eat 73 percent of the 900 000
tons govt claims the cull prevents baby seals from eating. When,
“The government has said seals consume 900,000 tons of fish each
year, more than a third of the fishing industry’s catch, and that
the cull is needed to protect fisheries”.
Govt’s big fat lie gets even worse. When it allowed Hatem Yavuz to
accept a late order for 10 000 Cape fur seal pup skins from a
Canadian seal fur skin buyer. After sealing season had closed in
November 2008. Which required the sealers to go out and club these
pups at Wolf/Atlas bay seal colony for 2 months during the 2009
seal pup breeding season in December. Which is in violation of the
sealing regulations. The reason for this. Hatem Yavuz did not want
to sell this buyer any of 23 000 skins he had harvested and clubbed
to death at the Cape Cross seal colony. As these pup skins were
fatter. To supply this Canadian fur buyer, who already had 20 000
unused Harp seal pup skins from the Canadian seal hunt in March.
Hatem decided to sell him 10 000 seal pup skins of inferior
quality, from the weaker, thinner seal pups at the colony at
Wolf/Atlas Bay area in the south. This deal apparently back-fired
when the Canadian fur buyer, soon after receiving the 10 000
inferior and thin Cape fur seal pup skins. Fur business collapsed,
and asked Hatem to buy back all 10 000 Cape fur seal pup skins, and
the unsold 20 000 Harps seal skins he had acquired earlier from the
Canadian sealers.
And what did Govt do ? Absolutely nothing.
In this clearly collapsed seal skin buyers market. Clearly a time
for investors in seal futures to buy. What did IFAW or HSI do –
Absolutely nothing. No offer, no discussion with anyone. No
Buyout.
Did it withdraw Hatem’s sealing rights or reduce the pup quota for
2009. You guessed it – NO ?
Govt Lies, Seal Pups Clubbed and Big ‘Anti-Seal Hunt Ngo’s’
Stingy
Whilst Animal Planet’s blog
blogs.discovery.com/2009/07/clubbing-seal-pups-insanity.html
reports that “The Humane Society International supports banning
seal products and preventing seal clubbing as does Sea Shepherd
International”. With Animal Planet airing to millions of viewers
around the world, Seashepherd’s Whale Wars 2 season, with a third
season to follow. Attracting millions of potential supporters to
Sea Shepherd International membership. Its founder and president
Paul Watson has said, “The Namibians are not going to get their $14
million. They are not going to get a dime”.
Humane Society International, CEO’s with their million dollar
salary packages, apparently support this view as well. Even though
if their 11 million members each donated $1. HSI could accept the
$14 million dollar offer and buy out the Namibian sealing industry
without blinking an eye.
A video interview with Rebecca Aldworth of HSI in October 2006,
stated the following, “Francois Hugo is an activist who is working
in South Africa to put an end to the Namibian seal Cull and he has
done some fantastic things in terms of getting the word out about
this hunt that most people were unaware was going on”. “The
Namibian seal hunt is particularly cruel, its an absolutely
unsustainable hunt. It cannot continue for the survival of that
seal population and it can’t continue because of the cruelty
involved”. HSI believes in a License Retirement Program. “Its been
implemented in many other fisheries around the world, it’s a system
whereby govt buys back the licenses of the hunters and HSI has
already suggested this program in Canada – we would be very anxious
to sit down at the table of anyone who would be willing to talk to
us in Namibia about doing the same thing. The good news is the
Namibian government has already talked about a buyout, that means
there’s political will there to do exactly that”. “Yes we do have
some funds, but I think – in addition to that we have a membership
of over 9 million, all of whom contribute to programs like this”.
“We have a lot of individual donors, some of whom are quite
wealthy, and are anxious to do away with seal hunting around the
world”. “So there are stakeholders that will contribute, there are
corporations that will contribute to this kind of a program”. “We
are stakeholders in this, we are here to stop seal hunting around
the world”.
Clearly these were just PR words. The Namibian sealers buyout offer
in 2009. Which in order to sell their rights requires govt approval
and consent. At $14 a seal. It obviously considered to high a price
for HSI. As they have made no contact with Francois Hugo, Namibian
sealing industry or govt.
Equally. International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) anti-seal
hunt and stop-the-seal-hunt campaigns which has seen 1,5 billion US
dollars flow into their bank accounts since the 1970s via its 3
million annual supporter membership base. Could simply send out an
appeal to its 3 million membership, asking each, to donate, once
$5.
So immoral, greedy and cruel has Hatem Yavuz become. That he is
undecided whether to accept Francois Hugo’s offer to buy up the
sealing quota for the 2009 sealing season for the seal pups at
Wolf/Atlas Bay. An offer which pays Hatem the same amount he would
pay for the seal skins to not buy them, and leave the seal pups
alone this season.
Perhaps the world is not ready, for the world’s largest seal pup
hunt to end. It is too financially lucrative ‘talking’ about it
ending.
Club On ! and keep talking seal supporters and give us all your
moooooney. Appears to be the moral of the story !
13.7 billion year’s interview with Francois Hugo and be read here
at
http://www.13point7billion.org/2009/07/137-billion-years-exclusive-interview.html
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
* . * .*
WHY WE
SHOULD NEVER KILL THEM -YOUTUBE
GO TO
http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
*
. * . *
From:
Seal
Alert-SA
Sent: Tuesday, July 07, 2009 1:08 AM
Subject: Namibia : Seal Cull NOT Started, Hang-in There Baby Seals,
Help Coming
Invitation to HSI and WSPA to approach Namibian govt -
Francois.
Seal Alert-SA, Media
Release, 7th July 2009
Namibia : Seal Cull
NOT Started,
Hang-in
There Baby Seals,
Help Coming
Live
or Die, Business Will Decide
22-minutes
ago, News24 reports amongst 70 other media publications, that
the, "Namibian seal hunt will go on",
www.news24.com/Namibian_seal_hunt_will_go_on.
The National newspaper
reported more in depth, "$14 million deal to end seal
cull",
www.thenational.ae/FOREIGN/NEWS .
It is the end of 6th Day
in Africa, and still the seal cull has not started. No
seal pups have been killed.
Namibian govt officials can
tell the media what they like, but govt does not do the baby seal
pup clubbing, business does, and the business of ending the seal
cull, has not been concluded yet. Business will decide whether the
seal cull starts or ends, not govt fisheries officials.
The Seal 'business' in Namibia
is dead. World economic slump, bans in the US and EU, poor demand
for luxury fur fashion goods, no fur buyers, surplus of unsold
seal skins, a declining seal population - and a sealing
industry that wants to sell-out for $14 million. Something the
Namibian govt must now come to terms with, and now look at
alternative economic solutions.
Clubbing cruelly these seal
pups is senseless and idiotic, as Namibia's last fur buyer, still
has 20 000 skins from the 23 000 he bought in 2008, and cannot even
sell these, and has placed no orders for 2009.
Whilst Seal Alert-SA bangs on
the back-door to end the cull and continues its efforts to publicly
raise $14 million US dollars to buyout the industry, it has
now asked the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA)
and the Humane Society International (HSI) to politely knock
on the front-door of the Namibian Govt, and make it an offer nobody
can refuse.
Since Namibia became
independent in 1990, and revived the seal culling industry, issuing
the rights and quotas to two sealing concession holders to club 930
000 seal pups cruelly to death. The sealing industry has cost govt
lost revenue. Killing only 610 000 seal pups of their quota. Seal
harvesting have only managed to fill 60 percent of their
annual quota since 1990, causing govt to loose the 40
percent revenue it gets from each pup killed.
In 2008, govt lost even more,
with seal harvesting yielding only 23 000 pups on an 85 000 pup
quota.
Seal Alert-SA asks WSPA and
HSI whom was at my meeting with the Prime Minister and Ministry of
Fisheries in 2007, to come forward and immediately offer the
Namibian government a deal, that it cannot legally refuse.
The front-door deal is.
Offer to take over the sealing rights and annual quotas for this
seal resource until rights end in 2019. Paying govt upfront for the
full levies on each seal in the quota that govt derives its revenue
from. Legislated at N$2 Namibian dollars (.25 US cents) a seal pup
and N$6 Namibian dollars (.75 US cents) per bull for the full
quota.
This would amount to
N$170 000 Namibian dollars for the 85 000 pups and N$36 000
Namibian dollars for the 6000 bulls each season. These annual quota
levies which amounts to $25 000 USD dollars per year, to be
guaranteed until Sealing Rights end in 2019. In addition, as govt
has repeatedly stated, that the cull is a necessity under the
constitution as it creates jobs for the unskilled and unemployed 97
workers in the industry. To offer to re-train, re-skill and offer
these seal-clubbers full time employment in their new
position, year round as "Seal Protectors and Seal Colony
Monitors", whose jobs would be to protect the seal colonies from
disturbance from the sealing industry and increasing tourism.
Whose jobs costing N$ 2 million Namibian dollars ($230 000 US
dollars) a year, to be equally guarantied for ten years, until
2019.
Seal Alert-SA suggests
WSPA offers the govt to put $2 million US dollars in a trust to
guarantee govt levies on quota and the cover workers salaries for
10 years, until 2019, and match any and all benefits that the
sealing industry offers its workers, if any. Seal Alert then
through its supporters will assist WSPA and HSI to fund the
annual levies and 'seal protectors' salaries, totaling $230 000 US
dollars through online pledges and donations.
Its a $260 000 US
dollars a year deal until 2019, which a surety of $2 million
dollars sitting in a Namibian npo trust.
Namibian Prime Minister
Nahas Angula shoved the Namibian Constitution Booklet repeatedly in
my face, which he co-wrote, stating I must find a solution within
the constitution. Well, PM this is it, "the constitution of
Namibia allows for the sustainable utilization of the living
natural resources (seals), slide 2, confirms your policy of either
consumptive (culling) or non-consumptive". The offer from either
the back-door or front-door is in line with the constitution's
non-consumptive approach to seals. Nowhere does the constitution
state govt must harvest or kill seals.
govt
presentation to Seal Alert in 2007
Can govt legally accept
the 'front-door' offer ? Marine Resource Act of 2000,
states, "The Minister whenever he is of the opinion that it is in
the interest of the promotion, protection or utilization on a
sustainable basis of a particular resource, at any time, suspend,
cancel or ..... of such rights, quota or license".
Can Seal Alert-SA succeeded
with the 'back-door' offer ? Marine Resources Act of 2000, states,
"No right may be transferred to another person except with the
approval of the Minister, but such approval may only be granted if
the quota connected with the right is also transferred to the same
person".
If the Namibian Sealing
Industry cannot deliver on their offer of $14 million buyout to end
sealing with the Minister's consent, I will have to look at
extortion and attempted fraud charges.
Namibian sealing industry has
sealing rights until 2019 to kill a million seal pups, their offer
to Seal Alert is 14 Million US dollars in a buyout..
This would be in line with the
policy of the department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
sign-board at the entrance to the Cape Cross Sealing colony, where
it urges, "people to help protect the seal colony".
Fisheries officials comments
that clubbing nursing seal pups is a necessity to manage the seal
population to protect fisheries is non-nonsensical and once again
idiotic. As the cull exempts breeding cows and all ages of fish
eating seals, as no market exists for its skins or products.
Equally, South Africa has proven nature more than effectively
manages the seal population, which has seen no increase in its seal
population after stopping its commercial cull in 1990.
Pups washing off rocks and
drowning, jackals predation on mainland colonies, and shark
predation at sea and around island seal colonies, together with
several mass die-off incidents since 1994, is all nature's way of
controlling the population without the need for human
intervention.
As an already UN listed
endangered species since 1977, with 23 former island colonies
extinct. Govt should take the offer to protect and not
club.
The non-consumptive
solution.
Seal Alert urges all
supporters to keep sending in pledges, and no donations please,
this fight is a long way from being over.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
* . * . *
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release 25 June 2009
Seal Alert-SA in
Talks to Buy-out Namibian Sealing Industry,
end the Seal Cull and
Save Cape fur seal Species
Namibian sealers
getting ready to club seal pups on 1 July 2009
Days before the world's largest seal
cull is about to begin on 1 July. Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA
receives offer from Namibia's last seal skin buyer, Hatem Yavuz to
purchase Namibia's sealing industry lock, stock and barrel.
Talks are underway, and Seal Alert-SA
plans to after ending the seal cull in Namibia, turn the sealing
factories into Seal Museum's for tourists, any revenue
obtained to go towards scientific research on Cape fur seals to
assist Namibian government further its protection of this species.
I have asked for the seal cull to be halted whilst discussions and
agreements are being finalized.
Thereafter I will turn my attention to
returning seals to extinct former seal islands and assist Namibia
where ever possible to protect this species.
Seal Alert-SA also publicly appealing for
any financial partners to come forward to help to make this a
reality.
Its right for Namibia, the Namibian
Sealers, the fur buyer and the Cape fur seals - and the world will
be pleased.
South Africa stopped its seal cull in
1990, and with this development the commercial culling of this
species will be for the history books, ending 500 years of
cruelty.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
* . * . *
From: sasealion@wam.co.za
Subject: Re: Seal Alert-SA - Why
Namibia's Seal Pup Cull is the Cruellest, and must be
Stopped
Date: June 23, 2009
Thanks
Antifursociety and all for this tremendous help, including Phil
Wollen for his initial support on this - Francois Hugo Seal
Alert-SA
We
are now joining Seal Alert in South Africa
against the brutal killing of baby seals in
Namibia
SEND
AN EMAIL TO STOP NAMIBIA BABY SEAL
SLAUGHTER:
If
this link is not working, please send the letter mannually.
THANK YOU!
http://antifursocietyinternational.org/n_seals/seals.html
EMAIL: hatemyavuz@superonline.com
Dear Hatem Yavuz of Australia,
As a Namibian Cape fur seal buyer you have recently hit the press,
but not in a way you ought to be proud of as you have now become
the primary supporter of one of the most cruel and violent
trade: Namibia's Cape Fur Seal skins. Since the Canada
lost its seal trade in Europe because of the EU's seal trade ban,
Namibia has now become the largest seal hunter in the world,
claiming notoriety as the world seal pups killer. Whether you like
it or not, you as the primary buyer is directly responsible for the
continuation of the brutal killings of seal pups. If there is
any doubt in your mind as to the exact cruelty involved in the
killing of these infant animals, A report was compiled after
extensive research done by the European Food Safety Authority and
outlines welfare issues surrounding the killing of seal which
concluded that the killings are unnecessarily cruel and
unacceptable.
The skins are sold to you at very low prices, and the seal clubbers
receive derisive wages, and are even forced to live in
cardboards. You not only are being responsible for the cruel
killings of seal pups, but are also contributing with labor
exploitation. If you do not care for the welfare of the animals,
you could at least consider the workers welfare. These seasonal
workers are poor - not immune to emotions, and certainly the brutal
killings will affect them psychologically. All the while
those who profit from their trauma sit in luxury getting their
hands dirty only by the immoral background of their
income.
Footage of these dwellings is available here http://www.ecoeye.org/ecoeye/Film%20database/CF593352-3B8E-49EB-9029-C9D60D2A3A6A.html
Apart from the inhumane aspects of the brutal killings, the annual
seal cull lasts for 139 days in Namibia, and it immensely disturbs
the seal breeding behaviour in the colonies, causing them to
collapse. This in turn destroys the seal viewing
ecotourism. If the toursim industry is given a chance to
grow, the then former seal-clubbers will be absorbed with permanent
touristic jobs. You are currently receiving a lot of bad
publicity, and it will not go away until you have reconsidered and
pulled yourself out of such a bloody and cruel business. You
are a very intelligent and ingenious man, and certainly can find
other sources to continue acquiring wealth without getting yourself
inside of such a despicable world: The bloody fur trade.
PLEASE HELP STOP THE BLOODY SEAL PUP SKIN TRADE!
-----
Original Message -----
From:
Seal Alert-SA
Sent:
Tuesday,
June 23, 2009 3:41 PM
Subject:
Seal
Alert-SA - Why Namibia's Seal Pup Cull is the Cruellest, and must
be Stopped
Seal Alert-SA Media Release, 24 June 2009
Why Namibia's Seal Pup Cull is the Cruellest, and must be
Stopped
Namibia's
seal cull a threat to the survival of the species
Like the US and EU Seal
product import bans have stated, clubbing to death of any wild
seal species in the wild is cruel and inhumane. Many equally feel
the larger the number of seals clubbed to death the greater the
obvious cruelty.
The recent EU all seal
species import product ban looked primarily at the point of
killing. Had the EU examined each species more deeply, it
would have found Namibia's seal pup cull the cruellest on
earth.
There is a distinct
difference between the Canadian Seal Hunt and the Namibian Seal
Cull. A cull by definition seeks to destroy a seal population by
reducing it. A hunt on the otherhand is more selective and driven
by commercial exploitation. A cull therefore effects the
species, whereas a hunt, the individual animal.
The Cape fur seals are
listed as an endangered species by the United Nations - Convention
in Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) to which 173 countries are
signatory to, whereas the harp seals are not considered
endangered.
Namibia's seal cull
starts on 1 July 2009, and involves 85 000 pups and 6000
bulls.
Approximately 5,5
million Harp seals, a true seal species, which spends most of its
life at sea, like a fish, are found living in the arctic waters. In
March, 1,4 million harp seal cows migrate south to the
recently formed ice floes, to give birth. The ice floes off Canada
then become a seal pup nursery and not a year round breeding
seal colony . Where 1,4 million cows give birth to 1,4 million
pups. Canadian DFO then awards a sealing quota of 320 000.
Approximately 23 percent of the pups born. Sealers then have to
wait, until most of the pups have been weaned and there is about a
3 percent mortality within this period. Weaning takes place
after the seal pup is born, it suckles on its mother, for 21
days trebling its weight to 40kg, and is then abandoned by the
cow and left to complete its moult, living off its own fat reserves
and learning to leave the ice to hunt before migrating north. It is
at this point, that sealers are then permitted to go out and hunt
the seal pups. As these seal pups are spread out over a vast
distance on shifting ice floes, sealers use boats to reach the
pups. If the pup is disturbed by the sealing activity and escapes
it can survive, as it does not need to return to the ice floe and
is weaned. According to DFO, sealers can club or shoot the pups. 10
percent of the pups are clubbed and the remaining 90 percent
is shot, as it appears, the seal pups are killed easier via
shooting each pup on an ice floe, from a distance. The hunt or the
quota is divided into two sections or two different hunts. The
first hunt is normally over within three weeks, occurs in the Gulf
of St Lawrence and involves mostly pups. After this, the balance of
the quota, which can be substantial is applied to harp seals of all
age groups, and the hunt takes place further north in the Front, as
it is by then, that all the seal pups have left the ice floes and
migrated north. The hunt therefore effects the 1,4 million pups for
3 weeks after weaning, and not the 5,5 million harp seals as
a species.
The sealing countries of
Canada, Greenland, Russia and Norway agreed that killing the
nursing seal pups until weaned, to be cruel, and banned the
practice in their sealing regulations in 1987.
The Cape fur seals of
Namibia, are an entirely different seal species. Fur seals, are
less evolved than true seals like the Harp seal. What this means is
that Cape fur seals require a permanent seal colony on
land, all year round, to give birth, to mate, to rest, to
moult and to raise their pups over the next 12 months. And, from
which they can go out and hunt each day, before returning to the
colony. Their preferred breeding colonies are therefore the 11
offshore islands in Namibia, but due to intense sealing in the
past, seals were forced to flee and migrate away from these island
colonies. It is this very fact, which makes the Namibian seal cull
so cruel, as sealing effects the entire seal population in the
colony via massive disturbance for 139 days of each year. The
result of this annual disturbance, forces the seal population to
continually flee their established seal colonies to find new safer,
undisturbed seal colonies. In 2006, 97 percent of the seals former
colonies on islands remained extinct, and instead seals had
colonized 26 breeding colonies along Namibia's 1650km desert
coastline, and on three of these colonies, 60 percent of the seal
pups were born. The three mainland colonies of Wolf, Atlas and Cape
Cross produced 120 000 seal pups collectively born in
December.
Unlike the Harp
seal pups who get weaned after 21 days, the Cape fur seal pups will
suckle from their mothers for the next 12 months, before weaning.
Bonding between cow and her pup is therefore intense. Cows nurse
their pups for 2 days, and then leave the vulnerable unattended pup
for 5 days to hunt continuing this cycle throughout the year. The
120 000 seal pups are then subjected to unnatural predation from
jackals, where 1 in 4 pups are killed and torn to pieces by Jackals
living on the mainland. According to Namibian scientists, 44% of
the pups born, will during the course of the next several
months, before sealing starts on 1 July, die from either
jackal predation, starvation or abandonment. The 67 000 surviving
seal pups, who weigh less than 15 kg, of the original 120 000,
all still nursing, unable to hunt or eat solids, still reliant upon
nursing, together with the cows, and the whole seal colony of all
age groups, are then subjected to Namibia's annual sealing quota of
85 000 pups and 6000 bulls.
Unlike the Canadian seal
hunt where 23% of the pups are effected. Namibia's seal pup quota
of 85 000, actually exceeds by 18 000, the number of pups still
alive by 1 July and therefore kills all surviving seal pups in the
colony.
For the next 139 days,
sealers will invade the entire seal colony, and forcibly round up
and herd together pups and cows. Disturbing the entire seal colony
each day. A seal colony, which primarily uses the night-time to
forage and the day-light to warm up, regain strength and rest. Most
seals, particularly cows are returning from hunting, when sealers
arrive. Whilst the entire colony is forced to flee the sealers each
morning between 5am and 9am, escaping towards the sea. Giving many
returning seals from a hunt, no rest. The cows and their pups, will
be forced away from the safety of the seal colony, and prevented
from escaping into the sea, by being driven in-land and held in
terrified groups. Where numerous seal pups die in shock, or from
heat or suffocation trapped under the terrified herd. Approximately
25 seal clubbers then attempt to club the seal pups with their
escaping mothers, to reach their 85 000 seal pup quota.
Due to the massive disturbance
to the whole seal colony, sealers are only able to kill 500 - 1000
seal pups, before the entire seal colony has fled and escaped into
the sea. At this moment many seals of all age
groups permanently abandon the colony, and attempt to find a
safer colony elsewhere. Cows abandon many of their pups, who even
if they escaped have therefore lost their natal colony, are unable
to return, or to hunt or catch their own fish, slowly over the
coming weeks move along the coastline dying from starvation. The
beaches become littered with dead pups.
The next day, the sealers arrive,
and the whole process is repeated. It continues in this way, until
either the 85 000 pup quota is reached or the entire colony has
permanently fled or collapsed.
So regardless of the cruelty
associated in the "kill zone", the very presence of sealers in the
breeding seal colony for 139 days causes immense side-effects to
the health and conservation of the colony, and has numerous
by-product cruelty related issues. As the quota involves 60 percent
of the breeding population, the species as well.
Unlike the northern hemisphere
sealing countries, which ban killing a nursing seal pup and allows
seal pups after weaning to be shot. Namibian sealing regulations
require that sealers may only club the seal pups. No shooting of
pups is allowed.
So whereas Canada's 320 000 sealing
quota, will involve 10 percent or 32 000 pups being clubbed,
Namibia will club all the surviving 67 000 pups in an attempt to
reach the 85 000 pup quota.
In addition, sealers are given a
quota to shoot 6000 bulls for their genitals, and an unknown number
of permits is given to trophy hunters to shoot bulls seal with
rifles or bow & arrows, for sport or trophies. In addition, 100
000 tourists are permitted to visit these sealing colonies after
the clubbing has ended each morning, when the seal colony is
then opened to paying tourists at 10am.
It is for these reasons, that the
Namibian seal hunt is the cruelest in the world, and on 1 July
2009, will become the world's largest, as Canadian sealers this
year killed 60 000.
It is time international efforts are
brought severely down on Namibia and its two sealing rights
holders.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/
27-21-790 8774
* . * .
*
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 17 June 2009,
13
days to go to the world's largest seal slaughter on
earth
Namibian State Owned Govt Newspaper Hides US & EU Seal Product
Import Ban
&
Australian Last Seal Skin Buyer Connection
&
The Millions Seal Watching Has Generated For Namibian
Govt
To
Continue Largest Seal Slaughter On Earth
Tourist
Fur Seal Viewing Revenue Generating Millions for Governments
To the best of my knowledge, not a single mainstream newspaper or
TV program in Namibia has reported on the EU Seal Product Import
ban vote in May 2009, although the EU is Namibia's largest trading
and tourism partner.
In the past week, state owned New
Era newspaper, days before the world's largest seal cull of baby
seal pups is to begin on Namibia's beaches, it publishes three
misleading articles by the same reporter, this first claims,
"Namibian Seal Products Feature in Turkey - by Desie
Heita", claiming Namibian seal pup skins makes the best fur
jackets and sales are booming, completely concealing that exports
to the EU are being routed through Turkey who is not an
EU member, to avoid the EU Seal import ban. Its second
article, "Seal Fur An Investor’s Gold Mine - by Desie
Heita", once again ignores US and EU Seal import bans, and
purports to suggest huge profits can be made by investors in Seal
fur, as Namibian seal skin fur jackets sells for 100 000 Euros and
that by doing so it will help impoverished poor Namibians. Yet,
foolishly ignores that even the prices quoted in Euros is banned.
Citing an Australian fur trader sales claims, completely ignoring
that this fur buyer, actually stopped buying Namibian seal
skins in 2008, and has no plans to re-order as the market is dead
or that he was the sole seal skin buyer in 2008.
What the Namibian government state owned
newspaper is desperately trying to indirectly advertise is for a
seal skin buyer to come forward, as Namibia has no buyers for its
2009 sealing season, the largest seal hunt in the world.
New Era newspaper's third article, "Animal
Activists Threaten Anti-Seal Hunting Demos - by Desie Heit",
http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=4967,
even after requesting details from Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA
in her email, and then given all the facts regarding the EU Seal
import product ban, and that the Namibian seal clubbers are so
poor they are living in cardboard shacks earning peanuts from
sealing, or that the Australian fur buyer, Namibia's last buyer of
seal skins, has stated he has stopped buying seal skins from
Namibia, the reporter still continues to conceal to her
Namibian readers, the citizens that voted the current government
into power, about the EU Seal product import ban.
Is this how state run and owned newspapers in
Namibia objectively inform their citizens, for I quote from their
website, "As one of the leading national news and information
institutions, New Era Publication Corporation, a wholly-owned
publishing house of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, is
committed to providing an objective and factual information service
to various readership groups, within its authorising environment.
The Corporation, established in terms of the New Era Publication
Corporation Act, No1 of 1992, publishes a newspaper titled New Era,
that contains well-researched and in-depth news and feature
articles on political, socio-economic, cultural, governmental and
developmental issues of national, regional and international
significance".
As per the above, is this state owned newspaper
upholding its own mission statement, the reading of it's vision
statement is even worse in context, "We see all Namibians having
access to the information they require to enable them to take
individual and collective responsibility and decisions to be able
to participate in an open democratic society at socio-political,
cultural and economic levels".
So hiding a major EU developed that voted
overwhelming 550 - 49, that specifically listed the Namibian Seal
Hunt as the second largest in the world to ban all Namibian
Cape fur seal product imports due to the cruelty involved in
herding and clubbing these wild endangered seals, is an "open
democratic society", according to the state owned New Era
newspaper?
So deep and distorted is this Namibian government
concealment of the true issues surrounding the world's largest seal
cull, that and I quote, "In 2007, Hugo was accorded the opportunity
to present his case before Prime Minister Nahas Angula as well as
with the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Government has
since asked for the animal movement to present an alternative
method of culling seals, rather than clubbing", that it even goes
right up to the highest office and directly to the Prime Minister
of Namibia himself.
As per the chart above, the Prime Minister of
Namibia was fully informed of the alternative to seal culling in my
meeting with him in 2007, that being, the very lucrative, growing,
sustainable job creation industry obtained by tourists paying to
view fur seals. With over 1,3 million tourist paying to view
fur seals in the southern hemisphere in the wild, Cape fur seal
viewing comes out tops, with over 400 000 tourists. Generating
directly for governments 12,5 million US dollars or in the
case of Cape fur seals in Namibia and South Africa, 5,1 million US
dollars or over 40 million Namibian dollars. Which is 8-times the
revenue generated by Namibia's sealing industry, of which
government only gets 206 000 Namibian dollars in revenue from the
sealers.
The scientific comment in this publication states
further, and I quote, "In this estimate of the value of this seal
focused tourism industry in the southern hemisphere, we present
only ticket payments to tour operators or governments. Commonly
when estimating the value of a particular tourist enterprise,
researchers incorporate a multiplier of 10 to 20 times gate
takings, to account for additional purchases, food, transport and
accommodation. We do not attempt this here, as we believe the
standard figures will be the most useful in monitoring future
trends".
So in fact, based on this scientific comment, Cape fur
seals via eco-tourism generates in fact, 400 million to 800 million
Namibian dollars for the governments of Namibia and South Africa -
whereas the world's largest seal cull generates just 5 million
Namibian dollars, and this is with a 150% increase by Namibia's
last seal skin buyer, whilst the Namibian government only receives
206 000 Namibian dollars in revenue from the sealing industry
itself..
How much of a threat is commercial seal culling to
this 400 - 800 million dollar seal eco-tourism and job
creating industry and this endangered species themselves. All
seal colonies originated from offshore islands, where all sealing
operations equally took place. Sealing exterminated these colonies,
causing 98% of this seal habitat to go permanently extinct. Sealing
no longer takes place on the islands, sealing has now moved to the
mainland, to which the remaining seal herd's fled.
The largest offshore seal colony in South
Africa, is an island known as Seal Island in False Bay, where
60 000 seals live. It is 2 ha in size, or 100 metres by 200 metres.
In Namibia, there is also a small island called Seal Island in
Luderitz Bay, its extinct, but at 44 ha, it is 22 times larger than
the Seal Island in South Africa. Which means it historically
could have accommodated 22 times the 60 000 seals living on the 2
ha island in South Africa. This would imply, that 1,3 million seals
used to live on this one island, called Seal Island in
Namibia.
Namibia's current seal population, its total seal
population along a coastline stretching 1650 km, which according to
the Namibian government numbers 850 000 seals, could all fit on
this one single and very small island off the Namibian desert
coast. The size of this former Seal Island, 500 metres by 800
metres.
Namibia on 1 July 2009, will commence the
world's largest seal cull, of a seal population that has
effectively been ecologically reduced to the size of just 500
metres by 800 metres.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
* . * . *
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 16 June 2009,
The Australian 'Gold
Mine' Connection To Namibia's 'Bogus' Sealing
Industry
Cardboard
shacks of Namibia's 120 unemployed,
poor and destitute Baby Seal Clubbers
Over the years I have become accustomed to Namibian Ministry of
Fisheries officials at the highest level officially supplying
'bogus' statements and data to prop up and support this cruel
baby seal bashing industry that should have ended in 1972 when the
US banned Cape fur seal product imports from South Africa and
Namibia. Instead, millions of baby seal pups have continued to be
slaughtered in a clear extermination plan of this endangered seal
species. A seal species found nowhere else on earth and effectively
reduced to the size of 500 metres by 800 metres.
One of the most glaring, is
the claim that Cape Cross seal colony in 2007, Namibia's largest
seal colony and largest tourist attraction, which attracts 100 000
international visitors each year, earning for the Namibian
government who sells the visitor's viewing permits, earning over 4
million Namibian dollars in ticket sales alone as opposed to the
206 000 Namibian dollars derived from the sealing industry,
recorded its highest number of pups born, and could therefore
support the largest seal pup culling quota on record of 85 000. To
then become the largest seal cull in the world. For Seal
Alert-SA to then discover after my meeting with the Namibian Prime
Minister, that flying over the seal colony, just 40 days into the
139 day sealing season, the seal colony was completely deserted
with tourists filmed standing where the seal colony once
was.
Although the Namibia relies
heavily on foreign aid and investment from the EU, its largest
tourism partner. The recent 27 country EU, 550 - 49 parliamentary
vote in May 2009 to ban all Namibian Cape fur seals product imports
due to its cruelty, was ignored in general by Namibian media.
Days before Namibia, the least
populated country on earth is about to start the largest Seal Cull
in the world on 1 July 2009, whose seal products are banned in 31
countries, including the US and EU . The state owned New Era
newspaper releases an article, "Namibian Seal Products Feature in
Turkey - by Desie Heita"
www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=4782,
claiming "Namibian seal products that are processed in Turkey and
turned into the best and most pricey fur jackets". The article
attempts to claim that one fur seal skin buyer, Hatem Yavuz whose
business logo on his website reads, "skins are our business" is
doing a roaring trade with Namibian sealers. Claiming further trade
with Turkey over the past 6 years exceeds 1 billion Namibian
dollars.
Clearly the purchases and exports to Turkey, who is not a member of
the EU, is in fact an excuse to side-step the EU Seal Product
import ban. Is this legal smuggling ?
Hatem Yavuz's email to Francois Hugo
of Seal Alert-SA, the organization leading the international
campaign to end Namibia's Seal Cull, reads differently, 10th June
2009, "I have already stopped the purchase of Namibian seals which
were supplied by Norway and Canadian co since December 08, due to
the economic fallout we have in general stopped furs, I don't
understand why the fuss. I am not the one buying the raw skin". In
another email dated 8th June 2009, it reads, "However we purchased
for 3 years dressed seals that was offered to us from
Canada,Norway,Greenland and Namibia itself. The current eco crisis
has led us to halt buying many fur products". In another email
dated 10th June 2009, "Do you have a contact number.....for a short
talk". In this short 1 hour talk from Australia, Hatem Yavuz
claimed to have started purchasing Namibian seal skins in 2006.
CITES (Convention In Trade of Endangered Species) trade database
confirms that Hatem Yavuz's purchased 48% of Namibia's seal skin
exports in 2006, this rose to 60% in 2007, and then as per his
telcomm conversation, he was the only Namibian seal skin buyer
willing to purchase Namibian seal skins in 2008, and purchased 23
000 seal skins, as this is all the
Namibian sealers had managed to harvest on a seal pup quota of 85
000. Confirming his
email above, that he has stopped purchasing Namibian seal skins, as
he still has some 20 000 skins in stock, although commenting that
he has been contacted by both Namibian sealers and government and
urged to place orders for 2009 season, which he has declined.
A week later, the same reporter and
newspaper releases another article on 15th June 2009, "Seal Fur An
Investor’s Gold Mine - by Desie Heita"
www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=4948.
In this article a number of 'bogus'
statements are made and Seal Alert-SA would therefore like to set
the record straight.
Although the article was published
on the 15th June 2009, and I quote, "Meanwhile, the recent
publicity on the group has also attracted the attention of Seal
Alert South Africa, an animal activist movement based in South
Africa that seeks to end the hunting of seals in Namibia", Seal
Alert-SA only received an email from this reporter after the
article on the same day, it reads, "Dear Mr Hugo, My name is Desie
Heita a reporter with New Era newspaper. If you could kindly
respond to my questions below: -Is it true that Seal Alert SA has
threatened massive boycotts and demonstrations against Yavuz Group
to stop the buying of Namibian seal fur? -Could you elaborate on
this? ". If this reporter knew I was involved, as the article
reads, why did she not objectively seek comment prior to
publication?
"Puppy seals pose the cutest animals
in pictures, and it is no wonder animal activists often prefer to
use puppy seal pictures in anti-fur campaigns. They strike some
sort of endearing pose that ignites human compassion similar to
that of pets".
The simple fact, is Namibia's sealing quota of 91 000 seals,
consists of a baby seal pup quota that accounts for 85 000 or 90%
of the quota. This method of clubbing baby seals has been banned
throughout the world, except Namibia. Seal Alert-SA has never
used "cute puppy pictures in the media", all our front page
footage shows a baby seal pup vomiting up white mother's milk in
shock when beaten to death.
"Established in 1975 the Yavuz Group of
companies has been dealing in raw skins, wool and furs since its
establishment in 1975. It is based in Australia and has
establishments in Turkey, Russia and South Africa."
Hatem Yavuz's own telcomm contradicts this somewhat, in which he
claims he only started purchasing Namibian seal skins in
2006.
"For
Namibian seal harvesters, dead seals earn them attractive foreign
earnings. The Yavuz Group, which imports sealskins from Namibia,
cites foreign earnings as one of the benefits of its engagement in
the Namibian seal harvesting industry."
The articles goes on to say, "Up until our
involvement, Namibian seal harvesters received scanty payments
for their products. We increased the
prices of Namibian seal skins by 150 percent, because of the
quality of skins,” says the group director Hatem Yavuz."
Is the "quality of the skins" referred to, due to the fact, that
sealing regulations require all sealers to club to death all the
seal pups as the only method allowed, to ensure the quality of the
skin ? It has already been established that Hatem Yavuz only
started buying in 2006, during my meeting with the Ministry of
Fisheries in 2007, it was stated that Namibian sealers revenue on
the 91 000 sealing quota, where it was further claimed, 83 071
seals were harvested, was 5 million Namibian dollars (450 000
Euros). If we then subtract Hatem Yavuz's 150 percent, prior to
2006, Namibian sealers were earning 24 Namibian dollars for each
dead seal prior to Yavuz's involvement or just 2
Euros.
Hatem
Yavuz's then 150 percent claimed increase due to the quality
of the skins, in reality, turns a dead endangered seal pup
skin, into a 5 euro skin over the last 3 years, hardly a massive
improvement, considering harp seal skins in Canada fell from USD
$100 to just $14, but as Namibia's sole seal skin buyer, one has to
wonder how long he will continue to offer this now that he has the
world market control over Namibian fur seal skins. Already he has
confirmed he is no longer buying Namibian seal
skins.
The article goes on to say, "Prices for the fur
jacket range from 5,000 Euro and depending on the quality and the
make, the jacket could carry double-digit price figures of just
below the 100,000 Euro mark".
Namibian Ministry of Fisheries, official Seals Press Release in
2007, refute these claims, and I quote, "Seal harvesting is an
economic activity and can not be done away with.
Sealing industry in Namibia sustain about 140 direct jobs of
the
unemployed, poor and destitute.
It is our obligation to ensure that they have a future. Seal
Alert-SA is encouraged to meet them and witness how the sealing
industry has added value to their lives".
This is further contradicted, in the article. on 13th May 2009, in
which, "Namibia to Continue
Culling Seals, Says EU Decision ‘Emotional’" with the Minister of
Fisheries stating, The EU is not a market of note for us,” Iyambo
said in Windhoek, the country’s capital. “It was just an emotional
decision".
One has to therefore question why New Era's article quotes the
prices for Namibian fur seal skin jackets selling for between 5000
and 100 000, in Euros. When knowingly the 27 countries of the EU,
has in fact banned the import of all Namibian seal products,
including skins, meat and oil ?
Additionally, Seal Alert-SA did in fact meet
with the sealers in 2007. It found the Namibian seal clubbers
living in cardboard shacks in the desert, no roads, running water,
sanitary or electricity (see pic above and video tape on
www.ecoeye.org/ecoeye/Film%20database/CF593352-3B8E-49EB-9029-C9D60D2A3A6A.html.
So who benefits from the 100 000 Euros each Namibian fur seal
jacket earns, Hatem Yavuz living in Australia or Namibian
sealers ? By Namibian Ministry of Fisheries own words, after
17 years of seal harvesting, the "140 sealers remain unemployed,
poor and destitute", and only employed part-time. How much of the 5
Euros for each beaten to death clubbed seal pup, do the Namibian
sealers in Namibia actually receive or does the bulk of the 5
million Namibian dollars the sealing industry earned from beating
to death 91 000 endangered seals go straight into the pockets of
two white controlling sealing rights holders, that have other
business interests.
The article continues, "We are now receiving
calls from interested investors asking all sorts of questions
regarding investment opportunities. For us it has given us leverage
to enter into other businesses in Namibia. We are looking at
entering food processing and production as well as mining in
Namibia. These would be set up in the country,” says Yavuz".
Seal Alert-SA draws a word of caution. Naturally from such
lucrative 5 euro investments, exploitive profit investors
would be asking questions, but is that task of the Prime Minister
of Namibia to exploit his country's living endangered seals,
by making them dead fur jackets for peanuts, but also his
fellow Namibian citizens, who elected him to office, so that one
individual living in Australia can profit huge sums for his
personal private gain. I thought independence meant freeing
Namibian's from this type of exploitation, it is just a pity, the
Namibian seal clubbers do not get or read their own local
newspapers, and see how their work earns 100 000 Euros, whilst they
live in cardboard shacks in the desert and earn
peanuts.
Its no wonder Namibia remains a third world banana republic of
independence. Whilst Cape fur seals annually generate sustainable,
proper work and income, that sees, over 500 000 visitors paying 50
million Namibian dollars for the simply pleasure of viewing this
natural wildlife species found nowhere else on earth get
exterminated from the earth.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
* . * .
*
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release 15 June 2009.
15 days to go to the largest Seal Hunt in the World, now taking
place in Namibia.
NAMIBIA -
Following EU Seal Product Import Ban,
Buyer's of Fur
Skins from the World's Largest Seal Hunt, can't be
Found
85
000 endangered mother's milk drinking baby Cape fur seals
clubbed and stabbed to death on Namibia's coastline, starting
1 July
Hatem
Yavuz Group, "Skins are our business" Namibia's last seal skin
buyer
Namibia
: On 1 July 2009,
the least populated country on earth along the oldest desert in the
world, who maintains it's constitution allows it conduct the
largest cull of wildlife on the African continent - will become the
world's largest seal hunt in the world and yet had only one buyer
for skins in 2008, and cannot find a buyer for the 2009
season.
So small has Namibia's seal population
been reduced to ecologically by commercial sealing, its entire seal
population could fit on one small 44 ha island (an area measuring
500 m x 800m), along a coastline of over 1600 km, already 98% of
seals former colonies on islands have been exterminated and today
remain extinct. In comparison, South Africa's largest offshore seal
colonies sits on only 2 ha, and has 60 000 seals on it.
Namibia's total seal population which
could fit in an area measuring 500 metres by 800 metres, is
considered such a threat to Namibia's industrial fisheries, that
all it's seal babies born each year must be exterminated
in an annual cull.
Namibian scientists in 2007, confirmed the
seal pups in Namibia have suffered an average natural mortality
since 1990 of 44% each year, prior to start of sealing season on 1
July, subtracting this from the seal pups born on the sealing
colonies, Namibia's seal pup quota exceeds the number of pups
alive.
An Australian Company is behind the
World's largest and Cruelest Seal cull. Seal Alert-SA has launched
an international campaign to expose and pressure Namibia's
only remaining seal skin buyer - Hatem Yavuz Group (43 A Ethel St,
Seaforth N.S.W, Sydney - AUSTRALIA. Tel +61 (02) 9948 5366, Fax +61
(02) 9948 5377. Owner Hatem Yavuz, email hatemyavuz@superonline.com, with
offices in Turkey, Russia and South Africa, whose head office is in
Australia, but does his purchases through Turkey to possibly avoid
the EU seal import ban, as Turkey is not a member of the EU. To
accept world opinion and that of his own government in Australia,
and that of the US and the EU, that has banned Namibian commercial
seal culls and their product imports due to the cruelty
involved.
Hatem Yavuz's sole purchaser of Namibia's
Cape fur seal skins in 2008, makes this Australian company the sole
reason for the continued financial viability of Namibia's two
sealing company's and their part-time 120 baby seal clubbers
conducting the cruelest baby seal cull on earth. Interestingly the
Australian fur seals which have not been commercially harvested
since 1975, are a sub-species of Cape fur seals.
Hatem Yavuz is the man, effectively behind
the last baby seal cull on earth, which is also now the world's
largest seal cull and cruelest.
Seal Alert-SA's 2009 campaign
"Hate' em Stop Buying
Namibian Seal Skins" is asking Hatem Yavuz and his
company the Hatem Yavuz Group to issue a public statement accepting
the cruelty involved in Namibia's seal cull (As stated by the US
and EU governments) and ethically undertaking never to purchase
Namibian Cape fur seal skins again, as already seal culling has
seen 98% of seal's former colonies on islands, collapse and become
extinct, and is currently driving the remaining seal herd's towards
extinction on the mainland.
The world market for seal skins,
particularly Namibian Cape fur seal skins is dead, but Namibia
refuses to announce an end to its cruel seal clubbing
policies.
Although Canada used to have the previous
distinction, with a sealing quota of 320 000 on a population DFO
believes is over 5 million harp seals, Canadian sealers in March
this year, slaughtered 60 000 due to pending EU Seal product
import ban, collapsed market and a decline in seal skin
prices.
On 1 July, Namibia's total seal
population on 26 seal colonies, which could all fit on just
one island off Namibian desert coastline of just 44 ha in
size (which still lies extinct), and whose population is
five-times smaller than the Canadian harp seal population, will be
subjected to a sealing quota of 85 000 pups and 6000
bulls. The 91 000 Cape fur seals to be slaughtered
within a few weeks, mostly baby seal pups, will give Namibia the
distinction of, the largest seal hunt on earth.
Although terrestrial wildlife have over
100 million ha of land protected for them in southern Africa,
Namibia's seal population as a species, has effectively been
reduced to just 500 m by 800m.
Ignoring the United States import ban on
Cape fur seals in 1972, due to the cruelty involved in Namibia's
current sealing methods or that the world's remaining sealing
countries of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia banned the
practice in their own sealing regulations in 1987, citing clubbing
a nursing seal pup in a breeding colony to be cruel. Namibia prides
itself that 90% of its sealing quota is nursing seal pup based,
with regulations requiring sealers to beat less than one year old
seal pups to death, as the only sealing method, and may not shoot
them.
With the Fisheries Minister Abraham Iyambo
ignoring his own constitution which prevents a cull of its
wildlife, as reducing a wild seal population is unconstitutional
and who ignores his country's own Animal Protection Act, which
states beating an animal to death is a criminal offence. Equally
disregarding that he has increased the seal cull quota, of
over 800% from 9000 in 1990, to 85 000 seal pups. When in fact
between 1994-2006, overfishing by the same Minister, saw the
largest seal die-off from starvation ever recorded over several
breeding seasons, effectively reducing Namibia's seal population by
half.
Ignoring Russia's President's public
statement, "that the seal clubbing is a bloody business, that
should have ended long ago", when he announced the end of Russia's
Seal Hunting policies or the EU's recent vote of 550-49, in May
2009, for an all seal species, all seal product import ban for all
27 countries of the EU, which specifically listed Cape fur seal
hunt in Namibia, as the world's second largest.
Namibian Minister of Fisheries Abraham
Iyambo's reaction to the EU Seal Import Ban thereafter was,
"Namibia to Continue Culling Seals, Says EU Decision ‘Emotional’",
and went on to say, “The EU is not a market of note for us,”.
As Cape fur seals, are listed as an
Appendix II endangered species in 1977, by the United Nations -
Convention In Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), all
exports/imports by the 173 countries, which includes Namibia, which
are signatory to the CITES convention, are required to submits
permits. These permits of exports/imports can be tracked on
CITES database.
In 2000, Namibia doubled its seal pup
quota from 30 000 to 60 000, and yet sealers could harvest only 35
000. In 2006, the Minister increased the seal pup quota
further by 30%, to 85 000 seal pups, and then
acknowledging the seals were suffering the largest mass die-off
from starvation every recorded in the world for any marine species,
effectively reducing the seal population by half. Namibian sealers
found only three buyers, and exported 13 550 skins to Greece,
15 177 to Norway and 17 813 Turkey. In 2007, Namibian sealers could
only find buyers in just two countries, Greece 10 056 and
Turkey 15 028. Between 2006 and 2007, Namibian seal skin exports
declined from 46 540 to 25 084. In 2008, Namibian sealers could
only find one buyer in one country, and exported 23 000 seal skins
to Hatem Yavuz in Turkey.
One has to question how the Minister of
Fisheries can claim sustainable utilization of the seals and issue
a sealing pup quota of 85 - 80 000. When the sealers were only able
to fill between 52 % - 31% of the quota?
In June this year, just weeks before
Namibia's annual seal cull, starting on 1 July, Namibian state
owned newspaper NewEra released an article, "Namibian Seal Products
Feature in Turkey - by Desie Heita", and claim Namibian sealers
were doing a roaring trade with Turkey and the Yavuz group.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA, the
organization leading the international campaign to end Namibia's
cruel baby seal pup slaughter, after having met with Namibia's
Prime Minister in 2007, managed to secure a full 27-country EU seal
import ban on all seal products from Namibian sealers within just 2
years, and has now been in email and telcomm communication
with Namibia's last Cape fur seal buyer, Hatem Yavuz of the Yavuz
group. Hatem Yavuz's hour long phone call from his Head Office in
Australia, tells a different story, as does his email dated, 10
June 2009, reads, "I have already stopped the purchase of Namibian
seals which were supplied by Norway and Canadian co since December
08, due to the economic fallout we have in general stopped furs,
......... I am not the one buying the raw skins". In his
telcomm communication, he confirmed that he last purchased 23 000
Namibian seal skins in December 2008, as this is all the
Namibian's sealers were able to harvest, and he was the only buyer
prepared to purchase Namibian fur seal skins. He further confirmed
Namibian sealers and government have been pushing him to order seal
skins for the 2009 season, but as he still has some 20 000 skins
left, he is not interested in purchasing skins this year.
In further communication, it appears as if the
two sealing company's owners, are not too keen to pursue further
seal culling either, as the market is dead, seal numbers are low
and they both have other business interests. Sealing is just a
side-line business, and are involved only because they have had
sealing rights for a long time.
With the recent EU seal import ban in May 2009,
due to the cruelty involved, one has to question why Namibia does
not announce an end to its sealing policy, as South Africa did on
the same endangered seal species in 1990.
Information received, its that Namibia is hell
bent on exterminating the seal population in Namibian waters, with
the belief, that commercial fisheries will benefit from such
extermination. Could somebody please tell Namibia and its Minister
of Fisheries, as I have tried, that 90% of it's seal cull which is
based on clubbing nursing baby seals, who do not eat solids or
fish, but drink mother's milk at the time of culling, and who vomit
up white milk in shock, will have no benefit for fisheries - as
seal pups do not eat or catch fish. Namibia's seal culling
policy actually exempts all "fish eating seals" as no market exists
for their coarse seal skins.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA\
27-21-790 8774
* . * . *
On July 1, 2009 - Namibia, will become the
largest
seal hunt in the world with the slaughter of 91 000 endangered
and protected baby Cape fur seals (Larger than Canada, who this
past year killed 60 000 seals, even though the quota was 280 000 on
a seal population 5-times larger). 90% of Namibia's sealing
quota will involve the clubbing to death of baby seals, all
still suckling mother's milk.
Seal Alert-SA, media release 7 June 2009
* . * . *
Seal Alert-SA Releases
"Touching Seals" DVD to Save Cape Fur Seals in Southern
Africa
Dear Cape Fur Seal Supporters,
It has been some time since my last update to
you. I wish to thank you for all your support in various campaigns,
petitions and funding. In a way to thank you, I have produced a DVD
that details the life of the Cape fur seal as a specie, along
3000km of coastline, spanning two oceans and covers my rescue work
and campaigns over the past ten years.
Since my meeting with the Prime Minister of
Namibia to attempt to persuade him to stop the seal culling in
2007, I have secured Namibia's two largest incoming tourist
countries, Netherlands and Germany to introduce a ban on Cape fur
seal product imports, and later the whole of the EU. This resulted
in not only Cape fur seals, but all 30 species of seals, including
the 15 species hunted worldwide involving over 15 million seals, to
be included in the EU Seal import ban. An achievement I am most
proud of. In addition, I have expanded my existing private seal
rescue facilities at Hout Bay harbour and this past season rescued
over 60 baby seals pups which required the purchase of over 40 tons
of fish to undertake their year long
rehabilitation.
Seal Alert-SA
Releases "Touching Seals" DVD to Save Cape Fur Seals in Southern
Africa
Pic on the DVD cover shows Francois
Hugo with just
25 of the more than 60 seal baby pups rescued
On July 1,
2009 - Namibia, will become the largest seal hunt in
the world with the
slaughter of 91 000 endangered and protected baby Cape fur seals
(Larger than Canada, who this past year killed 60 000 seals, even
though the quota was 280 000 on a seal population 5-times larger).
90% of Namibia's sealing quota will involve the clubbing to
death of baby seals, all still suckling mother's milk.
A process, even stopped by the
world's remaining sealing countries of Canada, Greenland, Norway
and Russia in 1987, that found killing a nursing baby seal to be
cruel..
This is after the US banned Cape fur
seals product imports in 1972 due to it's cruelty factor, and after
being listed by the United Nations - Convention in Trade of
Endangered Species (CITES) as an appendix II protected species in
1977, to which 173 countries are signatory to, including Namibia,
and after South Africa stopped all commercial culling on the same
species without any further population increases, adverse
ecological impacts or increased commercial fisheries competition in
1990, and after several mass die-off's from starvation of the seals
have occurred between 1994 - 2006, and after Francois
Hugo of Seal Alert-SA sat down with the Prime Minister of Namibia
in 2007 and 34 stakeholders two weeks later in Namibia, and after
sealers completely destroyed and exterminated Namibia's largest
seal colony at Cape Cross in 2007, which is also their largest
tourist attraction earning over N$4 million, and after, Namibia's
two largest incoming tourists countries, the Netherlands and
Germany, both introduced a ban on Cape fur seal product imports,
later that same year, and finally, after the EU recently voted
overwhelmingly 550 - 49 to introduce a ban on all seal products
imports in May 2009.
The pup sealing quota, does not take
into effect the natural mortality of pups (unnatural predation by
Jackals and from starvation), pegged by Namibia's own scientists at
44%, prior to the start of the sealing season. Therefore the
sealing quota awarded to two sealing companies exceeds the number
of seal pups left alive on seal colonies. Each year, Namibia
exterminates the total pups born each year.
Namibian Minister of Fisheries, Abraham
Iyambo reply is, "Namibia to Continue Culling Seals, Says EU
Decision 'Emotional' " on the 13 May 2009.
Even though Namibia's own constitution
prevents it from commercially culling wildlife, as by definition
a seal cull, reduces a seal population, and its Animal
Protection Act, finds beating an animal to death a criminal
offence.
So what do you do with a country,
that is the least populated country on earth, ignores world
opinion, scientific or governmental, who exports all it's seal
products, as Namibian's have no use for fur skins in a desert,
which only creates employment for 120 part-time seal clubbers,
which is guilty of cruelly carrying out the largest
slaughter of baby fur seals along the oldest desert in the
world, becoming in the process, the largest slaughter of
wildlife on the African continent. Whilst it ignores the plea's of
it's biggest employer, the De Beers Diamond corporation to
cease seal culling ?
A country, that has already through its
seal culling policy, caused the extermination and permanent
extinction of 98% of seals original habitat on offshore islands and
is hell bent on driving the entire species 2000km north into
extinction, by forcing fur seals to live in climates equal to the
tropical Seychelles, in now very warm Angola.
A country who intentionally bans seals
from their natural habitat islands, to force them to breed on the
mainland in order to club and cull them to death.
You produce a DVD that graphically shows
what mankind has and is doing to a seal species found nowhere else
on earth, and the only seal species breeding on the African
continent, and you show what the life of a Cape fur seal is, colony
by seal colony, along 3000 km of coastline spanning two oceans,
whilst one individual, Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA, tries
equally to save and rescue the species, and at the same time the
lives of over 5000 seals over the past 10 years, to prevent this
ecological species extermination.
Namibia claims its motive for culling
seals is based on the consumption of fish seals eat, yet 90% of the
sealing quota, is baby seal pup based, where the regulations
require sealers to only club to death < 1 year old seal pups.
These baby seals, all of which are too young to consume solids or
eat fish, and who all vomit up mother's milk in shock when clubbed.
In fact, all the fish eating seals of all other age groups are
exempt from the clubbing. It is therefore illogical Namibia's claim
it is culling seals to protect fish stocks, particularly as Namibia
exports 99% of its commercial fisheries to Europe.
The aim of the DVD is to educate and
inform each potential tourist considering visiting Namibia, South
Africa or Angola, to make an informed decision before visiting,
about it's protection of its natural living wildlife, and in
particular Cape fur seals.
Recently I appeared alongside US president
Barrack Obama in a leading Japanese environmental magazine, in
which it was claimed, Francois Hugo and Obama to be amongst the
world's emerging leading top 20 environmentalists making changes,
among the list is Kevin Rudd Minister Environment of
Australia.
You can order the DVD directly from Francois
Hugo of Seal Alert-SA via email sasealion@wam.co.za, the first edition is in English, and
later editions will be translated into French, Italian,
Spanish, Dutch, German, Chinese and Japanese. The retail price
which includes postage will be SA Rand 200 or USD $ 25 or Euro 20.
Each DVD is separately numbered and personally signed autographed
by my wife, Nelda and myself.
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 (for Europe use this number as the IBAN or
BIC code - 632 005)
SWIFT CODE : ABSAZAJJ
BANK : ABSA
SA NAT.CLEARING CODE
BIC: (SWIFT-CODE) ABSAZAJJ
Bank name : ABSA
Address : DELPHI ARCH OFFICE PARK, RAATS DRIVE, TABLE VIEW
City/code : TABLE VIEW, 7439
Country : South Africa
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
* . * . *
Seal Alert-SA Press Release 5 May 2009
FINAL EU VOTE
- MEPs APPROVE SEAL IMPORT BAN
Francois
Hugo of Seal Alert-SA with a rescued Cape fur seal pup
Today European Parliament released the following
press release :
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/063-54953-124-05-19-911-20090504IPR54952-04-05-2009-2009-true/default_en.htm.
On Monday 550 MEPs in the EU, voted in favour of a total import ban
on commercial hunting/clubbing of seals of all age groups worldwide
and their products. With just 49 MEPs voting against.
The ban will come into effect
in 2010.
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA
writes, "I am particular pleased, no overjoyed at the EU MEPs
decision, for although Namibia's cull of baby seals is the only
country in world doing so, the EU ban in 1983 of baby harp and
hooded seals, which lead to South Africa stopping its seal cull in
1990, did unfortunately, not include a ban on the more endangered
CITES Appendix II listed Cape fur seals. The latest legislative
process to seek a new ban was initiated by UK MEP Carole Lucas in
2006. Her written declaration for a ban on harp and hooded seal
species only, sadly once again did not include Cape fur seals
or any of the other 13 species of seal commercially hunted
involving over 15 million seals".
Today, all that has changed, Cape
fur seals and 30 species of seal, with 15 species hunted, involving
over 18 million seals worldwide are now officially banned from
import in the 27-country EU, or their products.
In effect, I am please to say,
I have single-handedly protected and saved 30 species of seals (all
seals) involving over 18 million seals from cruel commercial seal
hunts or clubbing.
My only hope, is that the Namibian
Prime Minister Nahas Angula, accepts the cruelty of his country's
sealing industry, and announces publicly an end it, and replaces it
with the far more lucrative eco-tourism seal-watching. Where
already marine scientists have confirmed 400 000 tourists view Cape
fur seals, a world leader, and with whom over USD $5 million is
generated in ticket sales. 10-times the income generated by
Namibia's sealing industry.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
- - - - - - -
Seal Alert-SA, Media
Release 2 March 2009
Russia Bans Seal
Killing Completely on 1 March,
and EU Parliament Votes
in Favour of a Full Seal Import Ban
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA with his
over 70 baby rescued Cape fur seals
Russia has announced that it will completely ban all seal killing
by 1 March 2009. Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called seal
hunting a "bloody industry". "It is clear that
it should have been banned a long time ago,"
said Putin at a meeting
with the Minister of Natural Resources. ( en.rian.ru/russia/20090227/120337294.html).
This now makes, Namibia
and it's annual clubbing to death of 85 000 nursing baby Cape fur
seals (the second largest seal killing hunt in the
world) and the shooting of 6000 bulls for their genitals, as
the only baby seal clubbing country, left on earth.
How the Fisheries
Minister of Namibia, Abraham Iyambo has defied all Animal
Protection Laws, dating back to 1962, which clearly state to beat
an animal to death is cruel and criminal, and who then
de-criminalized these horrific and cruel acts by introducing
regulations to commercialize its seal killing industry, forcing its
sealers, which impose that they must "club a baby seal under 1 year
of age to death", is beyond all logic ?
Why the Namibian criminal
prosecution authorities or the Attorney-General's office of Namibia
has not stepped in, and has turned a blind eye to these criminal
commercial activities since independence, equally is beyond
understanding ?
It now remains to be seen
whether Namibia's Prime Minister Nahas Angula, with whom I had a
meeting with in 2007, to stop the clubbing of seals, will come out
as strongly as Russia's Prime Minister and stop this bloody seal
killing industry, before it starts again on 1 July.
On 2 March 2009, the EU
Parliament voted 25-7, for a full Seal Import Ban of all Seal
Products(www.theparliament.com/latestnews/news-article/newsarticle/eu-parliament-backs-seal-products-ban/).
In doing so, they also rejected a proposal of a labeling
system.
Namibia's recent announcement
on 5 February 2009, that the government of Namibia has taken a
bold step to conserve some of the southern Africa nation’s unique
natural heritage by establishing the Sperrgebiet National Park. At
2.6 million hectares (more than 10,000 square miles), the new
protected area is the largest single protected region proclaimed in
Africa in two decades. While this may be all good and true, other
attractions in this park are the 80 terrestrial and 38 marine
mammal species, including the 600 000 Cape fur seals,
representing 50 percent of the world’s seal population. One has to
question, how culling and clubbing to death of 91 000 protected and
endangered Cape fur seals in this park, fits into this
conservation equation ? (www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=2277).
With Namibia as the last baby seal
clubbing country on earth, and the second largest seal hunt - the
eyes of the world, particularly the EU are fixed firmly on Namibian
government, as the least populated country on earth, it may
try to hide away, and hope this will all go away, but its
policies of protecting endangered wildlife is firmly on the agenda
in the EU.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
