as the 7th mass die-off becomes evident.
Seal alert-Sa sasealion@wam.co.za
Date: October 8, 2006
Dear All Cape fur Seal Supporters,
starving Cape fur seal comes ashore only to be run-over
After months of campaigning
to end Namibia's largest cull of 85 000 nursing baby
seals in nursing and birthing grounds. The species
continues to collapse. Since July 1, the sealers have
clubbed their way through every living nursing baby
seal pup in their desire to fill their export orders
for the EU. Sealers are now concentrating their killing
spree on shooting 6000 young and old bulls for the far east
genitalia trade. Whilst the 2006 sealing season draws to a
close on November 15. Seal Alert-SA is once again receiving
reports, that a 7th mass die-off has once again taken place
since 1988.
Prior to the start of this year's
sealing season. The seal population was at 1982 levels.
After 91 000 has been slaughter, (with 100% of the new-born
pups), one can only imagine what the Namibian seal
population has further declined to, with these further
reported mass die-off's. The lowest official population
figures we have are in 1972. How long before the seal
population will declined off the chart, and yet Namibia
still claims its seal population is healthy and sealing is
sustainable.
Here are just a few of the
extracts, Seal Alert-SA has received in recent days.
"My name is
Yolanda, we are currently visiting Swakopmunt in Namibia –
We went to the beach (Mile 4 –Mile 8) this morning and were
shocked by the number of dead seals on the beach, we only
drove on part of the beach but counted a total of 97, this
was terrible especially for my kids we even saw a couple of
baby seals also dead, do you know what is going on???
This is shocking, first of all the decaying bodies and
second of all the sadness of why this is happening.
We live in South Africa – Pretoria and we came to
Swakopmunt to look at this beautiful place and now we get a
slaughter field. I took photos and I really want to
email this to people in South Africa that are not informed
of this cruelty. Please let me know how I can help, we will
be here until Saturday and hopefully we will be able to
show our kids some seals that are alive not
this!!! Some of the body’s heads was bashed in and a
lot of the skeletons left had the same injuries. All of the
bodies seemed as they were just killed and left".
"I
heard through a friend of mine who is CEO of Save the Rhino
Trust and came out of the bush today with talk of a new
concession that has been opened up in a conservation area
to culling MORE seals. I am not sure of the details, but
will look into it. Also seals are coming up from the ocean
and dying like flies on the beach (starving most of them)-
some are even getting close to the road and being run over
as pictured here. The situation is horrific. Please give me
some feedback".
"Phoned Fisheries today and spoke to a Heidi
who put the phone down on me. She's dealing with the seals
and is a senior biologist. I got up her nostrils
because I demanded an explanation regarding the status of
the seals thus far - culling and starving to death. I also
got hold of an Advocate Mbako at Fisheries H/Q in Windhoek
who is going to issue me with a press release on my concern
regarding the seals dying along our coastline.She phoned me
back this evening (surprise) and said the matter has been
looked into and they will have an answer by Monday for me.
I'll let you know further. But I intend stirring the pot
some more, because the seals are dying like flies and the
beaches are littered with corpses. I would like to know
roughly how many seals do you think have been culled
to-date, as well as what sort of figures are we looking at
regarding the seals starving to death - is the same as last
year which I think was a recorded figure of is it 200 000
or 500 000 - that is an awful lot? let me know please"
In the last three days, Seal Alert-SA without any funding
(except from one loyal supporter in the Netherlands) has
rescued one juvenile, two sub-adults and one weanling pup.
All severe starvation cases. Sadly the juvenile after a
courageous fight died.
All the large international seal campaigning organizations,
with many millions of supporters and many millions of
dollars more in funding, all posted recent opposition press
releases on their websites, denouncing Namibia as the
'Cruellest baby seal hunt on earth'. I have to wonder why
none has reported these latest mass die-off's or offered
Namibia to send in rescue teams to offer to save some of
these seals. I know one organization has recently started
an international seal awareness campaign called 'making
waves for seals', in which over 2 million school children
(and their parents) will be reached. In which, if 10%
respond, over 50 million will be raised. I wonder how much
of this will go towards saving the seals currently dying in
Namibia right now?
Although 50% of these seals were slaughtered and are now
dying on the diamond restricted land, De Beers likewise has
remained silent.
No
word as yet either, from Green Party Dr Caroline Lucas or
the Commissioners in Europe or CITES Secretariat, so it's
safe to assume once again all these slaughtered baby seal
pup pelts will be welcomed into the EU.
Are we currently witnessing the way in which a seal species
becomes extinct, with everybody horrified at the pictures,
but not horrified enough to do or help in anyway. Yet, have
no problem in exploiting the situation to raise maximum
funding for themselves, with not a cent going to the actual
saving of these loving and beautiful marine creatures?
For
the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
