What
You Can Do Now
Contact
Hon. Minister Martinus Van Schalkwyk Dept. Environmental Affairs
& Tourism:
Email:
mwillemse@deat.gov.za
Ph: (021)402 3103
Fax (021)425 6977
Ask him to protect seals in the following ways:-
•
Implement
existing laws and introduce more effective Seal Protection Laws
than the current Seal Protection Act
allows.
•
Give
back Robben Island to the seals.
•
Make
it illegal for fishermen to carry weapons and explosives on fishing
trips since pirates are no longer a
danger.
•
Ban
clubbing of seals in Namibia.
•
Outlaw
the sale and harvesting of bull seal
penises.
•
Make
it illegal to shoot any seal in the water or on
land.
Online Petitions
Ban guns
at sea
www.PetitionOnline.com/Rrancois/petition.html
Give Robben Island back to seals
www.PetitionOnline.com/RobbenSA/petition.html.
Stop Namibian seal
clubbing
http://harpseals.org/helpstop/protest_new/namibia_email.php
Websites
www.canadianvoiceforanimals.org/SASealAlert_Index.html
www.harpseals.org
http://www.sealalertsa.net/
http://groups.myspace.com/capefurseals
Action Against Poisoning
Contact
Francois
Francois
Hugo with some bulls
Email:
sasealion@wam.co.za.
Mail a check to:-
SealAlert-SA
PO Box 221, Post Net
Hout Bay 7806
South Africa
The seals thank you!
CAPE
FUR SEALS
(South Africa) in
DEEP TROUBLE
Baby
Cape Fur seal, a few days old
Cape Fur Seals
have been around for 5 million years, but in the last 10 years
their population has declined by 50%. This is because:
1. They have been banned from their natural breeding colony in
Robben Is and left to a tiny 2 ha rock to breed on. Every year in
breeding season, 14,000 baby seals are washed into the freezing
ocean by gale force winds. They either drown, die from starvation
or hypothermia, are eaten by Great White Sharks, or get washed up
on the mainland and trashed by the council. If no babies survive
this means extinction of the species within 10 years.
2. They are shot
by fishermen who choose to make them the scapegoat for decline in
fish numbers. Fishermen have
declared war on
these warm loving creatures.
3. Every year Namibia stabs and clubs to death 60,000 nursing baby
seals and shoots 7,000 bulls for their penises.
Seal pups are also run
over by trucks and squashed to death, mothers watching helplessly
nearby. All this occurs on Namibia’s biggest diamond mining fields
run by DeBeers.
4. Fishing lines
strangle many seals to death or cut deeply and painfully into their
flesh, causing infection.
5. Starvation is a
problem due to overfishing by man. This is the largest mass
starvation of seals on the planet.
Cape Fur seal
populations have decreased by 50% in the last 10 years. If
something is not done soon to rectify these problems, within 10
years the Cape Fur seal will become extinct.
SASeal
Alert
The only organization
doing anything to help these seals is SealAlert-SA. As a one-man
operation, Francois Hugo has been working with the media to expose
the issues and working through legal channels. In addition he
rescues baby seals washed off the breeding colony and swept out to
sea landing onshore almost dead. He lovingly tube feeds
them till they are
strong again and then as they grow up, teaches them how to eat and
swim, like a seal parent, then releases them into the wild. Over
the years many of his released seals come back to visit, some
needing help with fishing wire cutting deeply into the flesh or
bleeding and infected from gunshot wounds. New seals needing help
find the “Seal Whisperer” too. Sometimes he drives hundreds of
miles through the night to rescue a seal in trouble. His dedication
knows no bounds.
South Africa’s Seal Protection
Act gives these seals no
protection whatsoever.
Become
a Guardian
Max
Please consider
becoming a guardian of one of these adorable baby seals. It costs
US$500 to rehabilitate one baby seal up till release which includes
food, medicine, transport. This process could take up to 9 months.
This amount can be donated by one individual or a team of donors.
To find out where your nearest team is in Australia,
contact:-
Menkit Prince
(02)66-795-863