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