SHOW YOU CARE FOR THE CAPE FUR SEALS, WEAR THIS T-SHIRT
PETITION FOR THE CAPE FUR SEALS NAMIBIA
Please react to this, email addresses at the bottom - Francois.
----- Original Message -----
From: SealAlert-SA
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 11:24 AM
Cruelest Seal Hunt in the World
Namibian Sealing -
"Cruelest in the World"
According to the previous
director of IFAW-SA, David Barritt - "Namibian Sealing is the
Cruellest in the World".
At a time when one third to one half of
the seal population was experiencing their second mass die-off from
starving to death because of Namibia's overfishing policies, in 6
years. Namibian fisheries Marine Resource Director, Dr Burger
Oelofsen had this to say, "Like the stock farmer, who in dry times
has to slaughter some thin and worthless animals to save them from
dying and to make it better for those which survive. People get
upset just because it is seals involved". "We know they are
going to die, so why not harvest them?", "We cannot afford to let
them go to waste".
Seal Alert-SA comment : Dr Oelofsen, you
completely miss the point, seals are not farm animals bought and
paid for by the farmer and being fed fish-meal on a private farm,
these are protected marine wildlife, who should be surviving in the
wild due to your "sustainable fishing practices". If you
really wanted to "save worthless seals" from the agonising and
cruel death of prolonged starvation, there are many better ways,
than rounding them up, separating them from their nursing cows and
clubbing them over the head or sticking a knife in their helpless
chest or hunting them with bows and arrows as trophy's..
Protected Cape fur seals are slaughter
at two colonies in Namibia. In the north, the Cape Cross Seal
colony is in a nature reserve, and Dr Burger Oelofsen the Namibian
fisheries sealing official is also a partner in the N$2000 a night,
Cape Cross Lodge. Which is the only privately owned land on
this northern coastline with a beachfront, its main attraction, is
the biggest mainland-seal breeding colony in the world, only 4km
away. When Seal Alert-SA phoned on +264 64 694 012 or info@capecross.org, and asked about the sealing
activity, the manager informed me of the following. "I think it
started yesterday, but at the moment there are just trophy hunters
hunting seals with bow and arrows".
Is it still open to the public? "Yes, the sealers go into the
seal colony from 5am to 10am, and then its open to
the public from 10am to 5pm. Its N$40 per person and N$10 per
car". When does the sealing stop? "Oh, it goes on every day until
November".
At the other sealing colony in the south.
This colony is situated in the sperrgebiet restricted diamond area
No.1. According to Namdeb's website, "Namdeb views the preservation
of the environment as a high priority and has developed stringent
environmental standards to enforce this view"
Although acknowledging that the sperrgebiet is an
ecologically sensitive area and in 1994 signed the historic
Minerals Agreement Act, in which Clause 14 of this agreement
specifies Namdeb's environmental responsibilities, such as, "Namdeb
shall have due regard for the protection of the environment and the
conservation of natural resources". When De Beers was asked why
they allow 29 000 nursing baby seals to be clubbed and stabbed to
death by migrant part-time sealers, their reply was, "Your enquiry
on the matter of seal culling activities in the Mining Licence Area
45 has reference. Neither Namdeb nor any of its associated
companies are involved in any seal culling activities anywhere. No
support, logistic or otherwise, is provided to the sealers".
In fact, Namdeb security in terms of the
Minister for Security and Security in 2003, are exempt from the
private security industry regulations act of 2001, on condition De
Beers Consolidated Mines does not deploy security officers outside
of the De Beers Group (Namdeb in Namibia). Where cell-phones and
camera's are banned from the diamond restricted area of the
sperrgebiet, but sealers can daily bring in guns, silencers, clubs
and knife's and are daily ushered through the security check-point
with their slaughter, dripping blood harvest of their protected
nursing baby seals.
Perhaps you would like to write to them
and tell them what you think, Minister of Fisheries, Dr Abraham
Iyambo aiyambo@mfmr.gov.za or Namdeb Country Manager,
Daniel Kali Daniel.Kali@debeersgroup.com or De Beers
Public Relations, Suzette Plantema suzette.Plantema@mhs7.tns.co.za .
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA