Subject: Seal Alert-SA Seal Centre under Construction in South Africa
Date: November 27, 2006 5:04:40 PM
Seal Alert-SA
Baby Seal Rehab Centre
under Construction
The open roof (5m
by 13m) Seal Centre and the view outside
Seal Alert-SA Seal Centre is under
construction. We already have 4 baby seals awaiting their new
head-quaters, their home 'away from home'. By end of December we
should have the first of three sea-water pools complete. In the pic
above the 2.5 m wide by 5 m pools, will line the right-hand side.
Continously pumped with seawater from below. Pups will have a
mini-island to crawl out on and recover, and grow. Room is filled
with natural sunlight and plenty of fresh air. We plan to have one
pool for babies, one for weanlings and one for older larger
seals.
Two of the babies already rescued, are
very weak and still have their umbelical-cords attached, the other
two are less than ten days old. In addition we have two weanlings
(11 month old's) from Namibia sharing our existing facilities, with
the babies. Another 12 weanlings are in the wild, being rehabbed on
the rafts, in addition two sub-adults. By the end of December we
expect to have a baby seal colony of about 20 babies >from at
least seven different seal colonies.
We are planning to instal a roller-shutter
gate of the left-side of the far wall (depending on funding) in
which our Seashepherd Rescue Duck and Jetski (Sponsored by Phil
Wollen) will be housed for immediate response. The other jetski
(sponsored by the Seal Supporters will be operated from my house).
After three months the babies will be transferred to the Beauty
Without Cruelty Catamaran, (which will undergo so modifications),
where alongside the two rafts, will complete their next 8-12 months
of rehab. We have a 4x4 for long range (thanks to Jose and Marius
and Marchig Trust) seal collection and two seal beach
buggies.
I have wetsuits, drysuits, camera. In
otherwords, day or night, calm seas or extreme rough, near or far,
I am ready to respond and equipped to deal with almost any seal
rescue situation, involving any age group of seal. For centuries
man-kind just saw these seals as something to discard, kill and
abuse. Thanks to you all, the seals have a friend, their protector,
ready to go to battle or their aid, at a moments notice.
We unfortunately have zero funding, and as
such appeal for whatever help you can offer - we need, a portable
water-pump, pool-filter, generator, roller-shutter door,
deep-freezer, and funding for additional construction of the other
two pools. Our basic funding requirements are about R40 000 and we
have about R13 000.
For seven years I struggled alone in the
wild, doing a thousand rescues a year. To finally, have a
head-quaters to operate from, is like winning the "Seal Lottery", a
huge continous strain and immense stress has been lifted (thanks to
Oceana the largest fishing company in SA, who have kindly made the
premises available for free). To all that has made this possible,
you have indeed done a great, great thing and something you should
all be proud of.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774