In
addition the team at Uncaged has put up the website,
www.boycottnamibia.co.za,
please log in and give the seals your support.
We
are their voice to end this barbaric slaughter of their
young.
|
To interview Mr. Francois Hugo |
From: SEAL
ALERT-SA
Seal Alert-SA, Press
Release, July 14, 2007
Seal Alert-SA's
Seal-Man Partnership With Seashepherd Underway
- Saving The Cape Fur Seals -
Namibian Permanent Secretary of Fisheries Nangula Mbako recently
accused Seal Alert-SA "opportunists who have found a platform to
harness financial resources for the sustenance of their
livelihoods". We were accused of something similar by the South
African Fisheries Officials, when they claimed our Seal Rescues
were "Seal feeding exercises to raise funding". How wrong they were
to single out Seal Alert-SA. Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA
has never appealed for funding to end the Namibian Baby Seal
Slaughter, hell I don't even operate my own website, and since 1999
have yet to draw a salary, what is more I have invested
substantially my own personal funds in these seals future. Websites
are performed by a dedicated group of deeply concerned
individuals from around the world, who have each taken their own
time and resources to partner with Seal Alert-SA to save this
species of seal.
Seal Alert-SA is a worldwide
network of supporters, its a partnership and not a charity.
Few people understand that the
costs of running a Seal Rescue Centre and doing up to 1000 seal
rescues a year (a third of the world's total seal rescues of all
seal species) single-handed is immense. Construction, equipment,
repairing, rescue and rehabilitation costs are never ending.
Captain Paul Watson of
Seashepherd
www.seashepherd.org whilst abroad his
vessel in the icy cold Antarctic fighting the illegal Japanese
whalers, understood this, and had his thoughts and deep concerns on
the Cape fur seals of southern Africa, when he wrote, "Our goal is
to remove some of the time and effort you put into fund-raising and
allow you more time for the seals, both to rehabilitate seals and
to oppose the slaughter in Namibia". Thanks to Seashepherd in 2007,
Seal Alert-SA is doing just that.
Please therefore read the
following Media Release from Seashepherd at the end of this update.
In addition Seashepherd's crew, and in particular Carla, has been
hard at work setting up another really informative website for Seal
Alert-SA. Please visit the site and
support, www.seashepherd.org/seal-alert/
.
Seal Alert-SA has also
released its third Movie-Clip, the Seal Alert-SA promo (a short
glimpse into one aspect of the work we do). Please view this clip
in "small window" as we have kept picture quality low for worldwide
web release. This and the series of clips can be viewed at
Youtube
www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=73AD049CF4B92A18
,
there
is also a link on
Google Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7822592018415723399
.
In addition the team at Uncaged has put up the website,
www.boycottnamibia.co.za,
please log in and give the seals your support.
We are their voice to end this barbaric slaughter of their
young.
SEAL
ALERT-SA
Our
High-Speed Rescue Seal Transport Craft and our Jetski, equipped
with Dive Gear, Seal Disentanglement equipment, Rescue & film
Equipment and Seal Food
Our
two internal rehabilitation pools, one for baby seals the other for
larger seals weighing up to 300 kg
Our
beach patrol seal stranding transport buggy
and
our jeep for launching and retrieving our watercraft
Our off-shore floating rehab structure (seals home away from
island). Pups adopt this as their natal birth colony for up to two
years
Inside
our Seal Centre
or
on Our Floating Rafts the care is the
same
Small
or Big, each seal gets the best treatment and care on their
terms
My
dear wife Nelda, our unique mini-global egg collection/production
through which we fund our own income and that of the needs of
seals.
Our 4x4 with onboard video equipment to deal with the hectic fast
pace visiting journalists require to get the full picture and its
ability to respond to stranded and dying seals far and
wide.
Thank
You, Captain Paul Watson of Seashepherd Conservation Society and to
all its members, staff and supporters.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
www.seashepherd.org/seal-alert
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society –International Headquarters
To Interview Captain Paul Watson –
Contact: Kristine Vasic, Media Relations Director
Telephone: +1-360-370-5650
To interview Mr. Francois Hugo –
Telephone: +27-(0) 21-790 8774
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 9, 2007 |
|
For
photos, video, and additional
information, please visit
http://media.seashepherd.org
SEA
SHEPHERD JOINS FORCES WITH THE SEAL WHISPERER
South
African Group Seal Alert’s Work Saves Thousands of
Seals
Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society is joining forces with Francois Hugo
and his seal-saving organization, Seal Alert-SA. Sea Shepherd has
already begun to finance the operations of Seal Alert in South
Africa for their work protecting the beleaguered Cape fur seals.
Seal Alert is the
only organization in southern Africa that not only advocates for
seals, but campaigns, protests, introduces protection legislation,
and also, rescues seals every day.
Denied
access to most large islands by the government, these seals (also
called South African fur seals) have been forced to breed and pup
on smaller islands that, in most cases, consist of small low lying
rocks which frequently become completely or partially awash.
This
causes almost a 100% mortality rate each year via the washing away
and drowning of newborn pups. Seal Alert rescues hundreds of these
abandoned seal pups each year. Another factor devastating the seal
populations is the sealers in Namibia who are slaughtering every
pup still alive at the beginning of sealing season on the mainland.
Additionally, the commercial fishing industry shoots seals and
entangles/drowns thousands, while also causing the starvation
of half the population annually due to
overfishing.
Born
and raised in Cape Town (the Cape of Storms), Hugo spent his early
years as a full-time crayfish fisherman, salvage diver, and Navy
diver, spending more time underwater than on land. He then
journeyed into the world of corporate intelligence, and conducted
undercover operations in many African countries involving crime
syndicates, mafia, drug smuggling, child trafficking, and illegal
diamond dealing. The entanglement and dying of one baby seal drew
his attention, and since that day, he and his wife, Nelda, have
dedicated their lives to the saving of the seal species. Now
44, Hugo heads Seal Alert, and using his acquired investigational
skills, he is untangling the web of deceit that surrounds this
species, while living his motto, “My day starts with the objective
of saving the life of a seal – everyday.”
Seal
Alert has set up a rehabilitation center in Hout Bay, not far from
Cape Town, where Hugo has and continues to rehabilitate scores of
rescued seal pups and successfully returns them to the
sea.
Outspoken,
controversial, stubborn, and passionate are words that come to mind
when Francois Hugo’s name is mentioned in Southern Africa. He has
been called the “Seal Whisperer” because of his intuitive
interaction and unique connection with the seals. As Hugo says, “My
work is a labor of love born out of a deep genuine desire to
protect and conserve these magnificent animals.”
For
that reason, Sea Shepherd has decided to create a partnership with
Francois Hugo and Seal Alert. Conservation of marine wildlife is at
the core of Sea Shepherd’s mission. Sea Shepherd has supported Seal
Alert for over 7 years, providing an inflatable rescue boat and
other material contributions as well as publicizing and promoting
their work on the Sea Shepherd website. Sea Shepherd looks forward
to saving the lives of many seals with Hugo and Seal Alert.
For more information:
www.seashepherd.org/seal-alert
END
About
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Established
in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an
International non-profit conservation organization whose mission is
to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the
world’s oceans in order to conserve and protects ecosystems and
species. Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to
investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and
confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the
biodiversity of our delicately-balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea
Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future
generations. Founder and President Captain Paul Watson, also
co-founder of Greenpeace Foundation, is a renowned, respected
leader in environmental issues.