Subject: Seal Alert-SA Exposes Namibia's Sick Seal Trophy Hunting Business
Date: July 30, 2007 3:13:04 PM
Seal Alert-SA, Press Release, July 30, 2007
Seal Alert-SA
Exposes Namibia's Sick Seal Trophy Hunting
Business
International
tourists enjoying close-up viewing of Cape fur seals at
Cape Cross in Namibia
On the July 22, the Rapport Newspaper ran an article
that claimed the nearby luxury lodge situated a few
kilometres from the ecologically sensitive area of the Cape
Cross Seal Colony, which is co-owned by Namibian Fisheries
Official Dr Burger Oelofsen, was offering its guests
hunting trips to shoot CITES listed endangered seals for
fun.
Quick to
reply. Manager of the Cape Cross Seal Lodge Leon Swanepoel
wrote in the Namibian newspaper (July 25), "The whole story
was wrong, and all the information was twisted".
On the same
day, it is reported that "Namibian 'Hunter's Fortune'
brings boost to tourism industry" and states Namibia is a
viable animal hunting industry with a high standard of
hunting ethics.
International
hunter with Kataneno African Trophy Hunting shooting a
endangered Cape fur seal bull
Seal Alert-SA can now reveal that Kataneno Hunt on the
African Trophy Hunting website
www.africantrophyhunting.com advertising
in German, French and English openly offers Hunting
Packages to shoot Cape fur seals. Hunting of Cape fur seal
bulls for trophies takes place between September 15 and
November 15 and costs 860 euros per trophy.
Francois
Hugo of Seal Alert-SA enjoying the company of large bull
seals
What is particularly disturbing and sick, is that this is
neither hunting or even a fair chase. Crawling up to
shoot an asleep bull seal in full camouflage
gear can hardly be considered sportsMANlike.
Hell, as with the pic at the top tourists could
instead drop a rock on the seals head. Clearly
if this is a "high standard of hunting ethic", I would
hate to imagine was a low standard is.
Bull
Seal penis hanging up to dry
What
is in fact criminal, is that Namibia is already culling the
seals under its so-called sustainable use policy and claims
to give out Seal Rights harvesting quotes based on the
latest scientific advice. In 2006 and 2007, 2008 and 2009,
it has set the bull seal quota at 6000 per
annum. These 6000 bull seal quotas harvested primarily
for their far east penis trade, for poor endowered Asian
men to obtain increased virility, is not to be confused
with the hunting of trophy hunters.
Scientists for years have
questioned Namibia's sustainability of the bull quotas,
including the International Fund for Animal Welfare
(IFAW) who have stated are very concerned. Equally
listed by the Convention in Trade of Endangered Species
(CITES) in its Appendix II listing, which states,
"Although not necessarily now threatened with extinction
may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is
subject to strict regulations in order to avoid utilization
incompatible with their survival". I repeated the word
EXTINCTION.
According to Namibian
Tourism over 150 000 foreign visitors come to Namibia, 45
000 of them from Germany. Minister of Fisheries and Marine
Resources, Dr Abraham Iyambo needs to immediately quantify
and explain how many of the 150 000 foreigners are out
hunting trophy bull seals, and explain how this is
permitted on top of the annual 6000 bull (penis) harvest
granted to sealers?
Failure to do so, the
Minister should resign.
With Germany, the
Netherlands, United States, Italy, Croatia, Belgium,
Mexico and South Africa banning the import of these
seal products. One has to question and investigate how
these seals as trophy's are being smuggled into these
various countries.
Seal Alert-SA has alerted
various law enforcement agencies, including NOAA agents
already tracking Cape fur seal shipments.
Eleanor Momberg's article,
"Culling Increases Namibian Seal Population" published in
the Sunday Independent and Weekend Argus should be read by
all, most of which the Namibian Ministry, and an immediate
announcement made to stop all seal killings in Namibia.
www.iol.co.za/index
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
