From: Seal Alert-SA sasealion@wam.co.za
Subject: AFTER-SHOCK of the Namibian BABY seal
Date: November 8, 2006
Press Release
Seal Alert-SA - 8th November 2006
AFTER-SHOCK of the Namibian BABY Seal Cull - Continues into SA
A suspected clubbed juvenile seal pup found shivering, hungry - and
now BLIND, 1600 km away
Since Namibian sealers reported in early October that they could
find no more baby seals to murder. Having finally succeeded in
driving-off 75% of the Namibia seals, from their birthing and
breeding grounds, excluding the (85 000 sealing quota) of baby seal
pups slaughtered. Reports soon after filtered in, that public were
finding 100 to 900 seal pups at a time, in which must be considered
the worst genocidal wildlife management of its kind in the world.
Thousands of nursing baby pups separated from their mothers, unable
to self-forage, were now starving to death.
Nowhere on earth is it permitted, to go into baby seal nurseries
and club them to death, yet South Africa has for over 100 years,
and Namibia continues where South Africa left off in 1990. Namibia
and South Africa justified this murder, claiming seals eat fish, in
one of the once, most productive fisheries in the world. Ignoring
the sum total of fish consumed by pets, livestock, birds, dolphins
and that wasted by human mismanagement.
As far afield as Cape Town, 1600 km away from the slaughter fields
of Namibia. Baby seals in one's and two's, daily started stranding.
The closer one got to Namibia, the greater the number of alive and
dead baby seals reported. Seal Alert-SA itself in the past few
weeks has rescued over 35 and seen many, many more float in
dead.
In sickening disregard for truth, marine scientists lay claim to
natural processes related to weaning. This falsehood, used to
facilitate the sealing industry, claiming baby seals although still
nursing on mothers milk until December (12 months of age), are
actually 'ripe' for clubbing at 7 months.
This brings Seal Alert-SA to the most sickening question of all,
why? From Europe to the US, to the local media, the simple answer
is - "We did not know".
Whilst some might choose to claim ignorance, for Seal Alert-SA and
the lives of these babies, this slaughter on 75% of the seal
population, is all too real. Year after year, season after
season.
A long swim to a sickening end
One of these baby victims, bone thin, made it safely to the shores
of Cape Town, to find the loving arms of the public and Seal
Alert-SA. He was given a second chance at life. 3 days later
crayfish poachers, frightened him, causing him to fall into this
man-made concrete break-water block - drowning him in the hole
pictured above.
The juvenile seal pictured (top) is suspected of being clubbed as
well, found on the shore, in otherwise perfect health. Shivering
cold from his long swim - instantly blinded by the blow to his
head.
Another baby pup, attempted to haul-out on some rocks, fishermen's
children found him. Decided to pelt him with stones. Running back
and forth, to collect more stones to throw. Seal Alert-SA found
this baby convoluting in the water. Three long hours later, this
baby let out his last breath. His life at the tip of Africa a short
10 months.
All in all Seal Alert-SA has lost four babies, who were just too
weak to make it.
Perhaps many can be excused for falling for the Namibian Ministry
of Fisheries, open media day in 2000. Where it too announced it had
doubled its baby seal pup quota to 60 000 babies and then as soon
as the sealers had completed their carnage, announced the Namibian
seals had suffered their worst mass die-off (from clubbing) or if
you prefer starvation ......
http://www.dispatch.co.za/2000/09/23/foreign/JOURNOS.HTM
Journalists watch seal pups killed
SWAKOPMUND -- A group of local and international journalists this
week witnessed the killing of seal pups at Cape Cross on Namibia's
northern coast, the Namibian Press Agency reported.
Invited by the director of resource management in the Ministry of
Fisheries and Marine Resources, Burger Oelofsen, the group arrived
at the seal colony in the morning to watch the culling of 296 pups
by the concession holders, Seal Products.
Eighteen Seal Products' employees herded the seals in groups of 20
to 40 along a narrow pathway, where the pups were clubbed and the
adults allowed to return to the ocean.
After being clubbed, the pups were stabbed with long knives through
the heart to ensure that they were completely dead, Nampa said. --
Sapa
......but, in 2006, this excuse is no longer justified. As
Namibian's 2006 Baby Seal Slaughter draws to an end on November 15.
The question remains, we will just begin again next year?
To visiting journalists, 'the controlled show' might have seemed
somehow acceptable that 296 baby pups were separated from the
mothers and 'orderly clubbed' to death in one morning, along a
narrow gauntlet of club welding sealers. But then, this was just
one show-day, the reality is something entirely different.
Three sealing concession holders, send in over 40 club welding
sealers every morning into two mainland seal colonies, which
consists of 75% of the population. Each day they will smash their
way through 600 to 1000 baby seals, causing the entire seal colony
to flee to the safety of the sea, and return the next day, and the
next, until their 85 000 baby seal pup quota is reached or as has
been happening since 1990, there is not a single baby seal pup left
alive to club to death. This can take anything between 85 - 150
days. Before the entire (what is left) of the seal colony flees in
terror.
Whilst sealers earn just R15 (USD $2) per slaughtered pup. Seal
Alert-SA is forced to pay thousands in the hope of saving some of
these innocent victims of today's sick society.
Whilst the world screams global warming - sealers and baby seals,
scream KILL, KILL.
For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774
http://www.sealalertsa.net/namibia_2006.htm