SEAL ALERT-SA
the
rescue
18 FEBR 2009
:
Well in the
pic below, it is only half the story, as the pic illustrates only
25 of the 60 baby seals currently rescued and at the centre -
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
Date: February 11,
2009
SEAL ALERT-SA MEDIA
RELEASE 11-02-2009
Private Baby Seal
Rescue Centre
- Full -
Francois
Hugo of Seal Alert-SA
and his more than 60 baby Cape fur seals
Annually government and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) policy of
banning CITES Appendix II listed endangered and protected Cape fur
seals from all their original endemic islands in order to make
these islands exclusively for seabird conservation - has its
environmental and cruel negative side. It causes thousands of baby
seals to be swept off their small displaced to awash rocks. At some
of the 9 offshore colonies, the entire year's cohorts of the colony
is effected. Most drown or become shark prey. The reason for this
is although a marine mammal, these babies are not born with a
waterproof skin/fur and cannot swim until 6 - 8 weeks of age.
During mean pupping time each December, Cape Town City Refuse
Department collects and disposes of 500-700 dead baby seals that
get washed ashore on our public beaches - daily.
1 in 100 baby seals make
the 6 - 22 km swim to shore alive. But, with 36 000 babies born
annually in the Cape, this can involve many hundreds if not
thousands needing rescue annually.
Government's policy on
this is that they will not fund seal rescue, nor allow seals to
return or populated former islands, nor will they make
available pilchard stock's to cease the cost of seal rescue.
Instead their policy is if the seal is assessed healthy by a local
vet, it should be returned to the colony. However to date in the
Cape, government has undertaken no such rescue mission. Instead,
its awarded the only Seal Rescue permit to the SPCA, who in turn
responds and receives seal rescue calls from members of the public.
The SPCA has them all then put down, as it believes baby seals
cannot be successfully rehabilitated over 12 months, and weaned
successfully to hunt on its own in the wild.
There is also the
question of costs, with each baby consuming R20 000, mainly
involving the purchase of pilchards for their baby liquidized fish
feed formula for the year.
the
more than 50 baby seals that have arrived
at the Seal Alert-SA centre in recent weeks
Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA has set-up private Seal Rescue and
Rehabilitation facilities in Hout Bay Harbour over the past 10 -
years. Its is self-funded. Each year I try to take in a select
group of babies from different effected seal colonies, in order to
further and pioneer the ability to successfully raise a group of
babies in order to eventually establish the means of re-populating
these extinct seal islands.
Things are very
different this year. Mass baby seal strandings normally stop within
the 1st week of January, as by then, either most have drowned or
the remaining survivors have developed some means of swimming, and
can therefore regain the awash rock on their own, if swept off
repeatidly. But this year, daily, much smaller groups have been
coming ashore constantly since January, with reports of 6-8 alive,
and as many dead.
The most effected seal colony,
appears to be the seal colony in False Bay. Where daily from Strand
to Simonstown, NSRI, local vets, divers, beach constables and
members of the public, have been reporting or bringing baby seals
to Seal Alert-SA's facilities. Often the SPCA gets there first, and
this has upset many members of the public when they find the
SPCA taking the seal and putting them down, without any
attempt at rehabilitation or rescue or care. Even the Editor of Top
Billing Magazine found a baby pup walking in the road and brought
it to Seal Alert-SA late one evening, and another Riccardo
Gramatica (021-681 3142) was very distressed to learn of Seal
Alert-SA's rescue efforts after handing the baby seal to the
SPCA.
Dive Centre in Strand (084 900
9163) has even made their vehicle available for daily transport of
baby seals to Seal Alert-SA.
The problem is, I am private, I
receive no government funding or funding from any large ngo's. 58
baby seals at the centre have already indebted me privately to the
sum of over 1 million rand, and although I would like to help the
public and seals, I am physically maxed to the limit and have no
idea, how I will find the money to cover this rehab for the year of
rehabilitation required.
Last year, I successfully rehabbed a group
of 13 babies, but 58 and counting is a crisis.
Pilchard fish processing factories
or quota holders are unable or unwilling to donate fish, our
primary costs, as they all claim reduced quotas and scarcity of
fish. This further increases my costs as I am now required to
purchase pilchards for the baby seals at R9 kg. Government should
step in and make our fish rescue costs available at no cost.
It is not logical or community, to
expect one individual to cater for the needs of both the seals and
members of the whole of the Cape Peninsula. With many residents
screaming at Seal Alert-SA for no longer being able to respond to
stranded baby seals.
Seal Alert-SA's Seal Rescue centre
is full.
Unfortunately with this type of
species rehabilitation, volunteer work is not possible, as bonds
need to be formed throughout the year, in order to able the pup to
develop hunting and swimming skills in the wild, whilst still being
able to return and suckle from his mom, daily or in our case,
tube-fed into the stomach.
I therefore appeal for
understanding, as I am doing more than is humanly possible.
The rest is in the public's hands.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
021-790 8774
083 949 6944
* . * . *
Swimming in seals, Lots of them
!
Date: January 20, 2009
Hi All,
Work on the main centre is
progressing well, I have demolished the two internal pools,
replastered and repainted the walls etc, etc. The next job is the
mezzanine level above the rescue craft, and then the roof. Work has
also started on the outside, repairing and repainting walls
etc.
It has been hectic lately with seal rescue
after seal rescue. 3 days ago I rescued 8 baby seals in one day.
Something has caused many seals to wash off the largest offshore
colony in False Bay, hundreds are washing ashore dead. Many of the
seals display mental-type disorders falling about, muscle tremours.
First thought appears to be distemper virus which is very
contagious, and could effect existing seals at centre and other
seals. But as some are recovering, it appears either a toxin in the
fish or poisoning. I still feel, that their behaviour is related to
acute stress, which means something very violent occurred on their
offshore colony during breeding time. I have heard rumours that
helicopters were landing on the small rock recently erecting
cell-phone masts.
Tests and time and further investigation
will tell, but its a nightmare, as the SPCA is responding only to
put the babies down. So its a race to get to these babies first, to
save them first from the SPCA. I now have 22 babies in the centre,
and its a nightmare as they display mental disorders, which makes
handling difficult and I am covered in bite marks, my hands are
torn to pieces. One only has experience this first hand to
understand how difficult it is raising 22 babies for the next 12
months. Just feeding them three times a day is a nightmare, as they
all look them same, and its difficult to keep track of who has been
fed and who has not. Raising these 22 babies is going to be an
immense challenge.
Its dawned on me why I do this, and suffer
the emotional test of living with their dying plight over and over
again. The Seals represent all that is good and natural,
whilst mankind callous and unconcerned throws such suffering at
them. Through all this, they respond in love and affection, and
just long for kindness in their hour of need. Amazing
animals.
22 baby seals and more expected, is going
to crash my budget as this alone is going to cost close to 1/2
million rand.. My plan, is to try and get sponsorship for CCTV
video camera's and large LCD TV screens, where tourists can then
sit upstairs on the mezzanine level and view the going's on from
the different cameras placed around the centre, some even
underwater. Hopefully I could charge them an entrance fee, as a
means to raising some additional funding. Hopefully the
construction work will be complete by April/May.
Besides this I have disentangled 6 seals,
and no sooner, then another at least 8 seals entangled have come
into the harbour. All things consider my facilities is really being
put to the test, and so far, all the planning and design appears to
be working like a dream. I have had to ask my builder, to jump in
and help prepare their feed, as feeding alone now takes 3 hours per
session, three times a day. Anyway I am surrounded and swimming in
sick, injured and dying seals, an entire colony full, and loving
every minute of it. Last years pups release, has gone very well,
with all returning to the centre regularly, one was even away for
an entire month, and only one I have had no sight of.
Some other good news, I received
this,
"Dear Mr.
Hugo. Macmillan South Africa will be publishing
“English for All
for Namibia Grade 9” in a first print run
of 5000 copies for distribution in Namibia. The title will retail
at R 88,70. We kindly request permission to use an extract
from the text, “Baby Seals Flee
Namibian Sealers to South Africa and Angola”
www.africanconservation.org/dcforum/77.html
as
it appears on the African Conservation Foundation website. If
possible, this permission request includes future reprint
rights. We would greatly appreciate your consent to our
request.. "
This
is great, as now children in school will be reading about the
Namibian cull. Below as a replacement for the video clip, I am
sending you a sequence of pics on a rather strange rescue the other
day. Many seals come to my rafts to die. The other morning I
noticed, a seal starting to convult on the raft, which is the first
step to death. I raced for my dive suit swam out, retrieved him
just in time, swam him back to the centre and so far he is pulling
through.
Keep well, all my best Francois.
Main
centre with various seal rescue
craft.
baby pup recently
attacked by seagulls after stranding, pecking out his eye. The
Centre with 22 babies, and Mumkin my 4year old pup in the
centre.
the
swim to the raft
the
rescue
last
years pups look on.
the
swim back
feeding
other pups inbetween
and
larger seals below centre
tube
feeding into the stomach of the dying seal pup.
