slaughtering starving seals to hide its 7th Mass seal die-off
Media Release : October 11, 2006
Seals are coming ashore, crawling
over roads and dying like "flies"
Adult seals been run-over by vehicles left to die - nursing pups
with their mothers, being slaughtered
In July 2006, just prior to the
start of Namibia's largest baby nursing seal cull (and the only
nursing baby seal cull in the world), Namibian Ministry of
Fisheries stated the seal population was still recovering from the
1994 mass die-off, and was at 27% below pre-1993 levels. This would
imply the population was at 1982 population levels. Ignoring this,
an 85 000 seal pup quota was issued.
That would see 38 050 nursing baby seals
culled on the diamond restricted colonies of Wolf/Atlas Bay. A
further 52 950 pup quota for Cape Cross. Where these two
quotas combined will see a 100% genocidal cull of the 84 000
nursing baby seals still alive come start of sealing season on July
1.
Well aware that a 7th mass die-off from
starvation was taking place. Namibia proceeded with its 'cover-up'.
Well aware that its sealers were in contravention of numerous CITES
export violations and that the European Union was considering a
major Seal Ban of all Seal Products, and two sealers concession
rights end in 2007. The cull continued.
Now the Permanent Secretary Ms Mbako
admits, the seal pups in the De Beers diamond restricted colony of
Wolf/Atlas Bay, have been starving so badly from birth, that their
growth had dropped to less than 10%. From 30g/day to just
2g/day. It also found that 48% and 51% of the pups were below the
surviving threshold of 11kg. Further stating the majority of pups
will not survive beyond post weaning age.
Its 2006,100% genocidal cull of nursing baby
seal in birthing grounds (a practiced out-lawed around the world
since 1983), is therefore a clear attempt at a cover-up, to conceal
the mass death, via a sealing industry.
Seal Alert-SA's founder Francois Hugo therefore
demands that the Minister of Fisheries resign, as under the
Constitution of Namibia its sealing industry is unlawful and not
sustainable, and presents a very real threat to the future survival
of this protected and endangered species.
For the
Seals
Francois Hugo Seal
Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
