From: Seal Alert-SA sasealion@wam.co.za
Date: November 8, 2006
Press Release
Seal Alert-SA - 8th November 2006
AFTER-SHOCK of the Namibian
BABY Seal Cull - Continues into SA
A suspected clubbed juvenile seal pup found shivering,
hungry - and now BLIND, 1600 km away
Since Namibian sealers reported in early October that they
could find no more baby seals to murder. Having finally
succeeded in driving-off 75% of the Namibia seals, from
their birthing and breeding grounds, excluding the (85 000
sealing quota) of baby seal pups slaughtered. Reports soon
after filtered in, that public were finding 100 to 900 seal
pups at a time, in which must be considered the worst
genocidal wildlife management of its kind in the world.
Thousands of nursing baby pups separated from their
mothers, unable to self-forage, were now starving to death.
Nowhere on earth is it permitted, to go into baby seal
nurseries and club them to death, yet South Africa has for
over 100 years, and Namibia continues where South Africa
left off in 1990. Namibia and South Africa justified this
murder, claiming seals eat fish, in one of the once, most
productive fisheries in the world. Ignoring the sum total
of fish consumed by pets, livestock, birds, dolphins and
that wasted by human mismanagement.
As far afield as Cape Town, 1600 km away from the slaughter
fields of Namibia. Baby seals in one's and two's, daily
started stranding. The closer one got to Namibia, the
greater the number of alive and dead baby seals reported.
Seal Alert-SA itself in the past few weeks has rescued over
35 and seen many, many more float in dead.
In sickening disregard for truth, marine scientists lay
claim to natural processes related to weaning. This
falsehood, used to facilitate the sealing industry,
claiming baby seals although still nursing on mothers milk
until December (12 months of age), are actually 'ripe' for
clubbing at 7 months.
This brings Seal Alert-SA to the most sickening question of
all, why? From Europe to the US, to the local media, the
simple answer is - "We did not know".
Whilst some might choose to claim ignorance, for Seal
Alert-SA and the lives of these babies, this slaughter on
75% of the seal population, is all too real. Year after
year, season after season.
A long swim to a sickening end
One of these baby victims, bone thin, made it safely to the
shores of Cape Town, to find the loving arms of the public
and Seal Alert-SA. He was given a second chance at life. 3
days later crayfish poachers, frightened him, causing him
to fall into this man-made concrete break-water block -
drowning him in the hole pictured above.
The juvenile seal pictured (top) is suspected of being
clubbed as well, found on the shore, in otherwise perfect
health. Shivering cold from his long swim - instantly
blinded by the blow to his head.
Another baby pup, attempted to haul-out on some rocks,
fishermen's children found him. Decided to pelt him with
stones. Running back and forth, to collect more stones to
throw. Seal Alert-SA found this baby convoluting in the
water. Three long hours later, this baby let out his last
breath. His life at the tip of Africa a short 10 months.
All in all Seal Alert-SA has lost four babies, who were
just too weak to make it.
Perhaps many can be excused for falling for the Namibian
Ministry of Fisheries, open media day in 2000. Where it too
announced it had doubled its baby seal pup quota to 60 000
babies and then as soon as the sealers had completed their
carnage, announced the Namibian seals had suffered their
worst mass die-off (from clubbing) or if you prefer
starvation ......
http://www.dispatch.co.za/2000/09/23/foreign/JOURNOS.HTM
Journalists watch seal pups killed
SWAKOPMUND -- A group of local and international
journalists this week witnessed the killing of seal pups at
Cape Cross on Namibia's northern coast, the Namibian Press
Agency reported.
Invited by the director of resource management in the
Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Burger
Oelofsen, the group arrived at the seal colony in the
morning to watch the culling of 296 pups by the concession
holders, Seal Products.
Eighteen Seal Products' employees herded the seals in
groups of 20 to 40 along a narrow pathway, where the pups
were clubbed and the adults allowed to return to the ocean.
After being clubbed, the pups were stabbed with long knives
through the heart to ensure that they were completely dead,
Nampa said. -- Sapa
......but, in 2006, this excuse is no longer justified. As
Namibian's 2006 Baby Seal Slaughter draws to an end on
November 15. The question remains, we will just begin again
next year?
To visiting journalists, 'the controlled show' might have
seemed somehow acceptable that 296 baby pups were separated
from the mothers and 'orderly clubbed' to death in one
morning, along a narrow gauntlet of club welding sealers.
But then, this was just one show-day, the reality is
something entirely different.
Three sealing concession holders, send in over 40 club
welding sealers every morning into two mainland seal
colonies, which consists of 75% of the population. Each day
they will smash their way through 600 to 1000 baby seals,
causing the entire seal colony to flee to the safety of the
sea, and return the next day, and the next, until their 85
000 baby seal pup quota is reached or as has been happening
since 1990, there is not a single baby seal pup left alive
to club to death. This can take anything between 85 - 150
days. Before the entire (what is left) of the seal colony
flees in terror.
Whilst sealers earn just R15 (USD $2) per slaughtered pup.
Seal Alert-SA is forced to pay thousands in the hope of
saving some of these innocent victims of today's sick
society.
Whilst the world screams global warming - sealers and baby
seals, scream KILL, KILL.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
http://www.sealalertsa.net/namibia_2006.htm
