Namibia : Ending the ‘Business’ of Killing Africa’s Endangered Seals

Seal Alert-SA, Media Release 30th June 2009

D-Day for the Namibian Seals

Namibia : Ending the ‘Business’ of Killing Africa’s Endangered Seals

 

Cape fur seals of Namibia and Seal Alert-SA believe this is the only way mankind should ‘wear’ their seal fur skin

 

        On 26th June 2009, Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA, a one-man seal rescue organization and leading campaigner to end the Namibian seal cull receives a written offer to buy-out the Namibian Sealing Industry for 14 million US dollars. The offer made by Hatem Yavuz, the Australian based fur buyer, selected to head and lead the contract gives Seal Alert-SA, 5 days to come up with the cash.

 

        Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA does not have the cash.

Seal Alert-SA campaign to pressure Hatem Yavuz fur buying business to publicly denounce future seal skin buying, exposed as Namibia’s last seal skin buyer, based in Australian and the sole reason behind the business of culling seal pups, lead to the offer.

 

        Namibia is due to start its annual seal cull of 85 000 baby seal pups and 6000 bulls on 1 July.

 

        The First and final sentence in the written offer states, “The positive alternative to stop the harvest is to buy all us out …… the harvest starts next week, and we will not waste our precious time if we feel and see that we are being played with”.

 

        Seal Alert-SA showed the 40 rescued seal pups at its private facilities in Hout Bay, the contract to save their siblings in Namibia, who after reading approved, and ordered Francois Hugo to make sure the deal includes getting back the 20 000 dead seal skins of their siblings that Hatem Yavuz still has over from his 23 000 seal skin purchase in 2008.

 

Sunday Independent’s reporter Eleanor Momberg ran the following story, http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20090628055513504C126571 

 

         Seal Alert-SA immediately started an international campaign seeking pledges from supporters for 14 million US dollars as it did not have the cash. It managed to be interviewed live on radio in the US,  http://www.wflendangeredstreamlive.org/namibianseals.html  and in China on http://www.suprememastertv.com . As the Namibian sealers buy-out offer amounts to a blackmail or bounty of $15 on each seals head due to be killed until 2019, it urged supporters to pledge $15 to save the life-time of each seal.

 

         In the business of seal killing, the Namibian sealers receive $7 a skin, and the business of ending it, requires $15 a seal earmarked for culling until 2019.

 

         Pledges have started pouring in from around the world, and it is clear seal supporters accept that whether they donate funds to an anti-seal hunt campaign, or pay to view seals in the wild, or donate funds to rescue seals, at a time like this, accepts the $15 is a small price to give these seals a life-time and be the first to stop a government seal hunt privately.

 

         With one pledge supporter to buy out the sealing industry, stating “How can I contribute to this? I have donated for years and this is the first time I’ve heard anything concrete about stopping the slaughter of seals”.

 

         In further response, Australian former merchant banker and Australian of the Year, Phil Wollen has personally pledged 1,5 million US dollars, and asks 100 like minded individuals or organizations to join him. Supporters of Seal Alert-SA, are also desperately seeking to contact Cathy Kangas, CEO of PRAI beauty products who in 2006 offered $16 million to the Canadian government to stop their seal hunt and attempts to reach Oprah are continuing. Seal Alert-SA also appeals for assistance from De Beers diamonds, the EU, Netherlands and German governments to provide funding.

 

         A reporter from the Namibian newspaper has confirmed that the Ministry has stated the Seal Cull will go ahead on 1 July, this year.

 

        The ‘business’ of killing endangered Cape fur seal pups for their skins is very real. In 2007, the Namibian Ministry confirmed that the industry had invested 560 000 US dollars in two seal processing factories, craft shop and workshop in Namibia, and generated 625 000 US dollar a year in sales, with 25 000 US dollars in revenue going to government. 97 workers were also employed part-time in the industry, in addition a further 60 workers were employed in the Turkish seal processing plant, doing the tanning and the making of the fur jackets, which sells for 5000 Euros each.

 

        A lot is at stake, as the Namibian government has granted the sealers, sealing rights to kill a million seal pups until 2019. Generating nett profits to these sealers of half a million US dollars a year, guaranteed for the next ten years, if the seal population does not collapse first.

 

        With all non-commercial seal protection attempts failing these seals, with seal skins banned in the US in 1972 due to the cruelty associated with the slaughter, then becoming a protected species in 1973, and then listed by the United Nations – Convention In Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) in 1977,  the race to save the species from the business of killing intensifies. Although South Africa stopped the cull in 1990, Namibia’s sealing business has continued to grow. From 9000 skins to 85 000 pup skin quotas, with sealers investing millions in the industry and business of killing seals.

 

         Support for Seal Alert-SA’s conservation efforts lead De Beers diamonds to publicly oppose the seal cull and in support of an EU ban, which lead to Namibia’s two largest trading countries, the Netherlands and Germany both introducing legislation banning imports in 2007, which further lead to the 27-country EU declaring a full seal product import ban in May this year, citing once again the cruelty involved. Even official appeals by the Dutch Minister of Environment failed to convince Namibian government to stop the seal cull. Francois Hugo’s face to face meeting with Namibian Prime Minister equally failed.

 

        Namibia’s seal cull is now the world’s largest, and the first seal cull to take place after the EU ban, what remains to be seen is how the west will respond to protect the seals from the east buying public.

 

        Following the EU seal import ban, Namibia’s Minister of Fisheries stated, “The EU is not a market of note for us,” Iyambo said in Windhoek, the country’s capital. “It was just an emotional decision. This will have serious repercussions on world trade.” The EU banned the trade because it says clubbing and skinning seals causes unnecessary suffering to the animals. Animal welfare organizations that have opposed the cull in Namibia have failed to advise the government on more humane ways to kill the seals other than clubbing them, the minister said. “We’ve asked them to tell us better ways of killing seals but they all have miserably failed to do so,” Iyambo said. “We are mandated by our constitution to sustainably manage our natural resources so we will continue harvesting seals.”

 

       Hatem Yavuz group which manufactures the seal skin jackets in Turkey, is equally not concerned about the EU ban, nor Turkey’s possible inclusion into the EU in some year’s to come, stating he will simply move his factory across the border. Look east, the west is dead with regard to fur, the new buyers are Russia and China, he confirmed, both have a thriving fur market.

 

       Days ago, Hatem Yavuz give Seal Alert-SA an undertaking that Namibian sealers would not go out and kill seals for two weeks to allow the contract to be finalized, and would delay the cull, after Seal Alert made it very clear, no seals were to be killed whilst the deal is still on. Seal Alert has now requested this assurance in writing from Namibian sealing industry.

 

       Is it blackmail and extortion to pay these seal killers, probably both, but that is the ‘business’ of killing seals, and as such a private business solution is the only answer to end it.

 

       The success or failure of this buy-out to end the seal cull, depends larger upon whether the ‘New Animal Mafia’ will allow the truly concerned little guy to succeed, as stated by Hatem Yavuz in an email to a supporter, “about the sell out? Only François Hugo, of whom I get along very well is the only legitimate activist I have known, as other major activists are using and basically supporting the harvest or cull for generating donations……using the hype for their own income. Now how ethical is this. This is why I personally don’t believe the buy out will take place, the other activists will dilute this situation”.

 

       It is not rather strong evidence, that although the international anti-seal hunt movement or the ‘new animal mafia’ although fully informed of the Namibian seal cull situation, chooses to remain deadly silent offering no support to this development, whilst muttering amongst themselves in secret, “I think this is a con and an attempt to pull $14 million out of a gullible public. There can be no guarantees with Namibia. This is no different than a Nigerian extortion scheme” to backroad this offer which had a very real chance of ending the Namibian seal cull, when they themselves fleeced the public when they Offered Canada $16 Million to End its Seal Hunt (http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/news-060404-1.html).

 

      Or, is this just a case where the little guy must not be allowed to win for the seals.

 

      Even stranger, is when  it is muttered in secret, “why Hatem did not bring this offer to them”, even stranger is their reasons given for no support, is that the EU ban has killed the seal skin fur market for Cape fur seals in Namibia. When in fact the New Animal Mafia, went out of their way to “forget to tell the EU about the largest baby seal cull taking place in Namibia”, to then claim credit for the ban, when in fact, it was only because of the invention of De Beers and Francois Hugo, at the final hour, that saw the EU include the Cape fur seal species, and 15 other species hunted, who were all ignored, in the ban.

 

      Perhaps only time itself, time the Cape fur seals don’t have, whether the ‘New Animal Mafia’ was ‘conning’ us all to the last donated cent.

 

      If I was an animal lover I would pledge my $15 to save the life-time of the seals in Namibia and end it.

 

      If we don’t buy them all out, Namibian sealers stand to nett 5 million US dollars over next ten years, and Hatem 100 million. How much further wildlife suffering will he inflict with these profits ?

 

For the Seals

Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA

27-21-790 8774

Seal Approved ‘ I Have a Signed Exclusive Agreement to End Seal Clubbing and Sealing

Seal Alert-SA, Urgent News Release, 27th June 2009.

Please note live talk on http://www.wflendangeredstreamlive.org/namibianseals.html

‘ Seal Approved ‘

I Have a Signed Exclusive Agreement to End Seal Clubbing and Sealing

 

40 baby seal pups all aged 7 months and weighing 12kg’s, have read and approve of the Namibian Sealing Industry Buy-Out to save their siblings

 

 

 

On the 26th June 2009, 5 days before the Namibian annual slaughter of 91 000 seals. I have received a signed exclusive agreement to completely buy-out the entire Namibian sealing industry, lock, stock and barrel and thereafter shut it down.

 

     After 10 years of trying, doing everything humanely possible, the end is in sight, This has never happened in the world, it’s a world first. A once in a life opportunity to save an entire wildlife species.

 

     Interested in becoming a financial partner with me in this (then you need to contact me most urgently), and together we can make world history together and save an entire species, and prevent over one million seals being clubbed cruelly to death.

Please See, 2-minute video clip on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/user/sealmancam#play/uploads/5/uzPcAvEARwI .

 

     Please forward this email to all friends, family or associates in this international effort to stop cruelty and save a species. There are millions of animal lovers out there.

 

     Together we can do it.

 

     A once-off financial investment from each of you, and which will give you each a return within days, could give the Cape fur seals as a species in Namibia a life-time.

 

     You have nothing to lose, as the financial pledge is not binding or enforced in anyway, it simply leads us to the next and final step.

 

     Write to Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA at sasealion@wam.co.za  most urgently, stating clearly the amount of your financial pledge and your support (please be honest and keep your email short).

 

     Buy-out of commercial competitors takes place everyday, in every commercial business centre in the world. All other non-commercial avenues have been exhausted. This is a once only offer, failure to conclude by 1 July 2009, will see the continued slaughter of just under one million Cape fur seals in Namibia until 2019 or the collapse of the species or market. The Namibian Sealing Industry will thereafter enter no further discussions or offers with anyone until their sealing rights are exhausted in 2019.

 

     Namibian sealing industry is a lawful business in Namibia according Namibian government, with investments in land, equipment, factories in Namibia and Turkey, and 160 staff, and their biggest asset 10-year sealing rights to kill one million endangered Cape fur seals, yet their activities in seal culls are a crime against nature and their product exports banned in the US, EU and SA.

 

     There is no alternative, but to buy-out the sealing industry in Namibia. In reality, saving each seal’s life, will be a once-off cost of $15

 

     We have hours and few days in which to conclude this deal, a difficult task, but not impossible. The power of the internet and email, could reach millions of animal lovers around the world overnight. The power to save a species, rests in your hands.

 

     Interested, then act now and email me for full details.[Please note - I will only individually reply to each email with full details, once the pledges offered exceed 14 million US dollars]

 

     Lets together, change history, and make it happen.

 

For the Seals

Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA

27-21-790 8774

http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com

Seal Alert-SA in Talks to Buy-out Namibian Sealing Industry

Seal Alert-SA, Media Release 25 June 2009

Seal Alert-SA in Talks to Buy-out Namibian Sealing Industry, end the Seal Cull and Save Cape fur seal Species

Namibian sealers getting ready to club seal pups on 1 July 2009

Days before the world’s largest seal cull is about to begin on 1 July. Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA receives offer from Namibia’s last seal skin buyer, Hatem Yavuz to purchase Namibia’s sealing industry lock, stock and barrel.

Talks are underway, and Seal Alert-SA plans to after ending the seal cull in Namibia, turn the sealing factories into Seal Museum’s for tourists, any revenue obtained to go towards scientific research on Cape fur seals to assist Namibian government further its protection of this species. I have asked for the seal cull to be halted whilst discussions and agreements are being finalized.

Thereafter I will turn my attention to returning seals to extinct former seal islands and assist Namibia where ever possible to protect this species.

Seal Alert-SA also publicly appealing for any financial partners to come forward to help to make this a reality.

Its right for Namibia, the Namibian Sealers, the fur buyer and the Cape fur seals – and the world will be pleased.

South Africa stopped its seal cull in 1990, and with this development the commercial culling of this species will be for the history books, ending 500 years of cruelty.

For the Seals

Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA

27-21-790 8774

Seal Alert-SA – Why Namibia’s Seal Pup Cull is the Cruellest, and must be Stopped

Seal Alert-SA Media Release, 24 June 2009

Why Namibia’s Seal Pup Cull is the Cruellest, and must be Stopped

 

 

 

Namibia’s seal cull a threat to the survival of the species

Like the US and EU Seal product import bans have stated, clubbing to death of any wild seal species in the wild is cruel and inhumane. Many equally feel the larger the number of seals clubbed to death the greater the obvious cruelty.

 

        The recent EU all seal species import product ban looked primarily at the point of killing. Had the EU examined each species more deeply, it would have found Namibia’s seal pup cull the cruellest on earth.

There is a distinct difference between the Canadian Seal Hunt and the Namibian Seal Cull. A cull by definition seeks to destroy a seal population by reducing it. A hunt on the otherhand is more selective and driven by commercial exploitation. A cull therefore effects the species, whereas a hunt, the individual animal.

 

        The Cape fur seals are listed as an endangered species by the United Nations – Convention in Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) to which 173 countries are signatory to, whereas the harp seals are not considered endangered.

 

        Namibia’s seal cull starts on 1 July 2009, and involves 85 000 pups and 6000 bulls.

 

        Approximately 5,5 million Harp seals, a true seal species, which spends most of its life at sea, like a fish, are found living in the arctic waters. In March, 1,4 million harp seal cows migrate south to the recently formed ice floes, to give birth. The ice floes off Canada then become a seal pup nursery and not a year round breeding seal colony . Where 1,4 million cows give birth to 1,4 million pups. Canadian DFO then awards a sealing quota of 320 000. Approximately 23 percent of the pups born. Sealers then have to wait, until most of the pups have been weaned and there is about a 3 percent mortality within this period. Weaning takes place after the seal pup is born, it suckles on its mother, for 21 days trebling its weight to 40kg, and is then abandoned by the cow and left to complete its moult, living off its own fat reserves and learning to leave the ice to hunt before migrating north. It is at this point, that sealers are then permitted to go out and hunt the seal pups. As these seal pups are spread out over a vast distance on shifting ice floes, sealers use boats to reach the pups. If the pup is disturbed by the sealing activity and escapes it can survive, as it does not need to return to the ice floe and is weaned. According to DFO, sealers can club or shoot the pups. 10 percent of the pups are clubbed and the remaining 90 percent is shot, as it appears, the seal pups are killed easier via shooting each pup on an ice floe, from a distance. The hunt or the quota is divided into two sections or two different hunts. The first hunt is normally over within three weeks, occurs in the Gulf of St Lawrence and involves mostly pups. After this, the balance of the quota, which can be substantial is applied to harp seals of all age groups, and the hunt takes place further north in the Front, as it is by then, that all the seal pups have left the ice floes and migrated north. The hunt therefore effects the 1,4 million pups for 3 weeks after weaning, and not the 5,5 million harp seals as a species. 

 

        The sealing countries of Canada, Greenland, Russia and Norway agreed that killing the nursing seal pups until weaned, to be cruel, and banned the practice in their sealing regulations in 1987.

 

        The Cape fur seals of Namibia, are an entirely different seal species. Fur seals, are less evolved than true seals like the Harp seal. What this means is that Cape fur seals require a permanent seal colony on land, all year round, to give birth, to mate, to rest, to moult and to raise their pups over the next 12 months. And, from which they can go out and hunt each day, before returning to the colony. Their preferred breeding colonies are therefore the 11 offshore islands in Namibia, but due to intense sealing in the past, seals were forced to flee and migrate away from these island colonies. It is this very fact, which makes the Namibian seal cull so cruel, as sealing effects the entire seal population in the colony via massive disturbance for 139 days of each year. The result of this annual disturbance, forces the seal population to continually flee their established seal colonies to find new safer, undisturbed seal colonies. In 2006, 97 percent of the seals former colonies on islands remained extinct, and instead seals had colonized 26 breeding colonies along Namibia’s 1650km desert coastline, and on three of these colonies, 60 percent of the seal pups were born. The three mainland colonies of Wolf, Atlas and Cape Cross produced 120 000 seal pups collectively born in December.

 

         Unlike the Harp seal pups who get weaned after 21 days, the Cape fur seal pups will suckle from their mothers for the next 12 months, before weaning. Bonding between cow and her pup is therefore intense. Cows nurse their pups for 2 days, and then leave the vulnerable unattended pup for 5 days to hunt continuing this cycle throughout the year. The 120 000 seal pups are then subjected to unnatural predation from jackals, where 1 in 4 pups are killed and torn to pieces by Jackals living on the mainland. According to Namibian scientists, 44% of the pups born, will during the course of the next several months, before sealing starts on 1 July, die from either jackal predation, starvation or abandonment. The 67 000 surviving seal pups, who weigh less than 15 kg, of the original 120 000, all still nursing, unable to hunt or eat solids, still reliant upon nursing, together with the cows, and the whole seal colony of all age groups, are then subjected to Namibia’s annual sealing quota of 85 000 pups and 6000 bulls.

 

        Unlike the Canadian seal hunt where 23% of the pups are effected. Namibia’s seal pup quota of 85 000, actually exceeds by 18 000, the number of pups still alive by 1 July and therefore kills all surviving seal pups in the colony.

 

        For the next 139 days, sealers will invade the entire seal colony, and forcibly round up and herd together pups and cows. Disturbing the entire seal colony each day. A seal colony, which primarily uses the night-time to forage and the day-light to warm up, regain strength and rest. Most seals, particularly cows are returning from hunting, when sealers arrive. Whilst the entire colony is forced to flee the sealers each morning between 5am and 9am, escaping towards the sea. Giving many returning seals from a hunt, no rest. The cows and their pups, will be forced away from the safety of the seal colony, and prevented from escaping into the sea, by being driven in-land and held in terrified groups. Where numerous seal pups die in shock, or from heat or suffocation trapped under the terrified herd. Approximately 25 seal clubbers then attempt to club the seal pups with their escaping mothers,  to reach their 85 000 seal pup quota.

 

       Due to the massive disturbance to the whole seal colony, sealers are only able to kill 500 – 1000 seal pups, before the entire seal colony has fled and escaped into the sea. At this moment many seals of all age groups permanently abandon the colony, and attempt to find a safer colony elsewhere. Cows abandon many of their pups, who even if they escaped have therefore lost their natal colony, are unable to return, or to hunt or catch their own fish, slowly over the coming weeks move along the coastline dying from starvation. The beaches become littered with dead pups.

 

      The next day, the sealers arrive, and the whole process is repeated. It continues in this way, until either the 85 000 pup quota is reached or the entire colony has permanently fled or collapsed.

 

      So regardless of the cruelty associated in the “kill zone”, the very presence of sealers in the breeding seal colony for 139 days causes immense side-effects to the health and conservation of the colony, and has numerous by-product cruelty related issues. As the quota involves 60 percent of the breeding population, the species as well.

 

      Unlike the northern hemisphere sealing countries, which ban killing a nursing seal pup and allows seal pups after weaning to be shot. Namibian sealing regulations require that sealers may only club the seal pups. No shooting of pups is allowed.

 

      So whereas Canada’s 320 000 sealing quota, will involve 10 percent or 32 000 pups being clubbed, Namibia will club all the surviving 67 000 pups in an attempt to reach the 85 000 pup quota.

 

      In addition, sealers are given a quota to shoot 6000 bulls for their genitals, and an unknown number of permits is given to trophy hunters to shoot bulls seal with rifles or bow & arrows, for sport or trophies. In addition, 100 000 tourists are permitted to visit these sealing colonies after the clubbing has ended each morning, when the seal colony is then opened to paying tourists at 10am. 

 

      It is for these reasons, that the Namibian seal hunt is the cruelest in the world, and on 1 July 2009, will become the world’s largest, as Canadian sealers this year killed 60 000.

 

      It is time international efforts are brought severely down on Namibia and its two sealing rights holders.

 

For the Seals

Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA

http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com

27-21-790 8774

Namibia’s Minister of Fisheries Protects ‘Seal Islands’ in 2009, but Bans Seals from 97%

Namibia’s Minister of Fisheries Protects ‘Seal Islands’ in 2009, but Bans Seals from 97%, then Orders the World’s Largest Seal Cull on Mainland

 

No.	South to North	Size	Seal Colony	Status	1972	1993	2006	Declined %
1	Sinclair Island	3,2 ha	3,2 ha	Active	15 772	8 703	9 072	-43%
2	Plumpudding Island	1 ha	Extinct	Extinct
3	Pomona Island	1 ha	Extinct	Extinct
4	Possession Island	90 ha	Extinct	Extinct
5	Long Island	1 ha	1 ha	Active	12 328	20 170	12 702	-39%
6	Halifax Island	10 ha	Extinct	Extinct
7	Penguin Island Luderitz	36 ha	Extinct	Extinct
8	Seal Island Luderitz	44 ha	Extinct	Extinct
9	Ichaboe Island	6,5 ha	Extinct	Extinct
10	Mercury Island	3 ha	Extinct	Extinct
11	Hollamsbird Island	1 ha	1 ha	Active	5 042	4 902	4 330	-14%
		196, 7 ha	5,2 ha
		100%	3%
	Total Island Seal Pop				33 142	34 175	26 104
	Total Seal Population				85 168	220 212	205 500
	Percentage of Total				39%	15%	13%

Namibian Seal Islands Cape Fur Seal Pup Population       

 

Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA has to question why Namibia will conducted the world’s largest seal cull on Namibia’s mainland beaches, on 1 July, when 97 percent of the Cape fur seals former endemic habitat is extinct, and its island seal population has declined from 39 percent of the total seal population to just 13 percent ?

 

     On 14 February 2009, Namibia Minister of Fisheries Abraham Iyambo, proclaims “Namibian ‘Seal’ Islands” as Marine Protected Area’s (MPA’s). It reads, “A total of 11 islands and islets, as well as a number of rocks is specifically addressed in this document”. ”These islands extend from Sinclair Island in the south to Hollamsbird Island in the north”.

In doing so, the Minister officially introduces legislation that bans seals from 97 percent of the seals former habitat.

 

     Under Cape fur seals (2.3.5) in this document, it states, “Although in the past most of the seals used to breed on the islands off the Namibian coast, after the intervention of man, through depleting of the seal stock (seal culling) … most islands became unsuitable for the seals”. “Seals on islands represent at present only a small portion of the total seal population”.

 

     Most importantly it reads, “tagging studies have shown that a significant portion of bulls harvested at Cape Cross originated (fled) from several of the islands”, “Seals began to colonize the mainland opposite long islands, leading to the development of Wolf and Atlas Bay in the 1940s. Culling seals then became more cost-effective, and less risky at the mainland colonies than at the islands where sealing soon ceased“.

 

     Seal Alert-SA further questions, if “Island Seal Culling” ceased, why then has the seal population on islands not increased or expanded to repopulate extinct former islands. Is there in fact, a need to cull seals living in their preferred and natural endemic habitat on the islands?

 

    Clearly not, if looking at the scientific figures supplied by Namibian scientists in 2007. After more than 30 years of seal population surveys, Seals still only occupy 5,2 ha of the 196,7 ha on 11 islands now protected. Overall the seals on islands have declined from 39 percent of the population to just 13 percent, without the need to cull. 97 percent of seals former habitat remains extinct, with seals only breeding on 3 percent of the land surface area on islands.

 

    So is banning seals to the mainland and then culling them, managing the seal population, or exterminating them ?

 

    Possession Island 90 ha, Namibia largest island lies nearby Long island, a formerly major sealing station and seal colony, now extinct. Namibia’s second largest, still named Seal Island 44 ha, remains extinct to the seals, although Namibia’s total seal population could fit on this small 500 metres by 800 metre rock. The document reads further, “Chasing seals off Mercury island in 1990 and 1992″.

 

    In 2007, Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA made these facts, very clear to Namibia’s Prime Minister and Minister of Fisheries, but the government of Namibia has chosen to ignore these facts.

 

    Instead the document reads, “active management and locally excluding seals from islands”.

 

    Namibia’s new policy as per the document, “The recolonization by seals of the islands should be discouraged as a priority“. In otherwords, seals are officially banned from 97 percent of their former endemic habitat, in order to slaughter their seal pups on Namibia’s mainland beaches.

 

    If this is not a “master plan” to exterminate the Cape fur seals as a species in Namibia, then what is ?

 

    The article in Namibia’s Economist on Friday, days before the world’s largest seal cull, “Hunting Seals Cruel, Financially Not Viable” (http://www.economist.com.na/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17091:hunting-seals-cruel-financially-not-viable&catid=542:headlines&Itemid=62 ), and I quote, “Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources denied the allegations, accusing Seal Alert-SA of peddling lies to get funding from western countries, according to Moses Maurihungirire, its director of resource management. “They [Seal Alert] think that African countries cannot manage their own resources. Namibia harvests seals in a sustainable manner and it provides jobs to people,” he said “.

Even US and EU Seal product imports bans due to the cruelty involved have failed to stop it. Even direct appeals by Dutch Minister, Namibia largest incoming tourist and foreign aid/trading partner fails to stop it, and I quota, “Namibian Ministry in October 2007 was informed in writing of the forth coming import ban and the current concern in the Netherlands about the diminishing populations of Cape fur seals in Namibia and the hunting methods employed. The Namibian Secretary of State stated in a written reply that the hunting of Cape fur seals would not be terminated“. Even the German seal import ban had no effect. Even appeals by Namibia’s largest employer, De Beers Diamond, fails to stop it.

 

    Is there even a need to cull seals at all, if government allows seals to return to these recently protected former, now banned seal islands ?

 

For the Seals

Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA

27-21-790 8774

13 days to go to the world’s largest seal slaughter on earth

Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 17 June 2009,

13 days to go to the world’s largest seal slaughter on earth

Namibian State Owned Govt Newspaper Hides US & EU Seal Product Import Ban

& Australian Last Seal Skin Buyer Connection

& The Millions Seal Watching Has Generated For Namibian Govt

To Continue Largest Seal Slaughter On Earth

 

Tourist Fur Seal Viewing Revenue Generating Millions for Governments

 

 

To the best of my knowledge, not a single mainstream newspaper or TV program in Namibia has reported on the EU Seal Product Import ban vote in May 2009, although the EU is Namibia’s largest trading and tourism partner.

In the past week, state owned New Era newspaper, days before the world’s largest seal cull of baby seal pups is to begin on Namibia’s beaches, it publishes three misleading articles by the same reporter, this first claims, “Namibian Seal Products Feature in Turkey – by Desie Heita”, claiming Namibian seal pup skins makes the best fur jackets and sales are booming, completely concealing that exports to the EU are being routed through Turkey who is not an EU member, to avoid the EU Seal import ban. Its second article, “Seal Fur An Investor’s Gold Mine – by Desie Heita”, once again ignores US and EU Seal import bans, and purports to suggest huge profits can be made by investors in Seal fur, as Namibian seal skin fur jackets sells for 100 000 Euros and that by doing so it will help impoverished poor Namibians. Yet, foolishly ignores that even the prices quoted in Euros is banned. Citing an Australian fur trader sales claims, completely ignoring that this fur buyer, actually stopped buying Namibian seal skins in 2008, and has no plans to re-order as the market is dead or that he was the sole seal skin buyer in 2008.

 

     What the Namibian government state owned newspaper is desperately trying to indirectly advertise is for a seal skin buyer to come forward, as Namibia has no buyers for its 2009 sealing season, the largest seal hunt in the world.

 

     New Era newspaper’s third article, “Animal Activists Threaten Anti-Seal Hunting Demos – by Desie Heit”, (http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=4967 ), even after requesting details from Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA in her email, and then given all the facts regarding the EU Seal import product ban, and that the Namibian seal clubbers are so poor they are living in cardboard shacks earning peanuts from sealing, or that the Australian fur buyer, Namibia’s last buyer of seal skins, has stated he has stopped buying seal skins from Namibia, the reporter still continues to conceal to her Namibian readers, the citizens that voted the current government into power, about the EU Seal product import ban.

 

    Is this how state run and owned newspapers in Namibia objectively inform their citizens, for I quote from their website, “As one of the leading national news and information institutions, New Era Publication Corporation, a wholly-owned publishing house of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, is committed to providing an objective and factual information service to various readership groups, within its authorising environment. The Corporation, established in terms of the New Era Publication Corporation Act, No1 of 1992, publishes a newspaper titled New Era, that contains well-researched and in-depth news and feature articles on political, socio-economic, cultural, governmental and developmental issues of national, regional and international significance”.

 

   As per the above, is this state owned newspaper upholding its own mission statement, the reading of it’s vision statement is even worse in context, “We see all Namibians having access to the information they require to enable them to take individual and collective responsibility and decisions to be able to participate in an open democratic society at socio-political, cultural and economic levels”.

 

   So hiding a major EU developed that voted overwhelming 550 – 49, that specifically listed the Namibian Seal Hunt as the second largest in the world to ban all Namibian Cape fur seal product imports due to the cruelty involved in herding and clubbing these wild endangered seals, is an “open democratic society”, according to the state owned New Era newspaper?

 

  So deep and distorted is this Namibian government concealment of the true issues surrounding the world’s largest seal cull, that and I quote, “In 2007, Hugo was accorded the opportunity to present his case before Prime Minister Nahas Angula as well as with the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Government has since asked for the animal movement to present an alternative method of culling seals, rather than clubbing”, that it even goes right up to the highest office and directly to the Prime Minister of Namibia himself.

 

  As per the chart above, the Prime Minister of Namibia was fully informed of the alternative to seal culling in my meeting with him in 2007, that being, the very lucrative, growing, sustainable job creation industry obtained by tourists paying to view fur seals. With over 1,3 million tourist paying to view fur seals in the southern hemisphere in the wild, Cape fur seal viewing comes out tops, with over 400 000 tourists. Generating directly for governments 12,5 million US dollars or in the case of Cape fur seals in Namibia and South Africa, 5,1 million US dollars or over 40 million Namibian dollars. Which is 8-times the revenue generated by Namibia’s sealing industry, of which government only gets 206 000 Namibian dollars in revenue from the sealers.

 

   The scientific comment in this publication states further, and I quote, “In this estimate of the value of this seal focused tourism industry in the southern hemisphere, we present only ticket payments to tour operators or governments. Commonly when estimating the value of a particular tourist enterprise, researchers incorporate a multiplier of 10 to 20 times gate takings, to account for additional purchases, food, transport and accommodation. We do not attempt this here, as we believe the standard figures will be the most useful in monitoring future trends”.

 

   So in fact, based on this scientific comment, Cape fur seals via eco-tourism generates in fact, 400 million to 800 million Namibian dollars for the governments of Namibia and South Africa – whereas the world’s largest seal cull generates just 5 million Namibian dollars, and this is with a 150% increase by Namibia’s last seal skin buyer, whilst the Namibian government only receives 206 000 Namibian dollars in revenue from the sealing industry itself..

 

   How much of a threat is commercial seal culling to this 400 – 800 million dollar seal eco-tourism and job creating industry and this endangered species themselves. All seal colonies originated from offshore islands, where all sealing operations equally took place. Sealing exterminated these colonies, causing 98% of this seal habitat to go permanently extinct. Sealing no longer takes place on the islands, sealing has now moved to the mainland, to which the remaining seal herd’s fled.

 

   The largest offshore seal colony in South Africa, is an island known as Seal Island in False Bay, where 60 000 seals live. It is 2 ha in size, or 100 metres by 200 metres. In Namibia, there is also a small island called Seal Island in Luderitz Bay, its extinct, but at 44 ha, it is 22 times larger than the Seal Island in South Africa. Which means it historically could have accommodated 22 times the 60 000 seals living on the 2 ha island in South Africa. This would imply, that 1,3 million seals used to live on this one island, called Seal Island in Namibia.

 

   Namibia’s current seal population, its total seal population along a coastline stretching 1650 km, which according to the Namibian government numbers 850 000 seals, could all fit on this one single and very small island off the Namibian desert coast. The size of this former Seal Island, 500 metres by 800 metres.

 

   Namibia on 1 July 2009, will commence the world’s largest seal cull, of a seal population that has effectively been ecologically reduced to the size of just 500 metres by 800 metres.

 

For the Seals

Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA

27-21-790 8774

 

New GROUP on Facebook

Dear all,

I have started a new group for the cape fur seals.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112496080882

It is dedicated to Francois and the cape fur seals.

Please, join the group and support the animals

Paola

The Australian ‘Gold Mine’ Connection To Namibia’s ‘Bogus’ Sealing Industry

Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 16 June 2009,    The Australian ‘Gold Mine’ Connection To Namibia’s ‘Bogus’ Sealing Industry

 

 

Cardboard shacks of Namibia’s 120 unemployed, poor and destitute Baby Seal Clubbers

 

 

 

Over the years I have become accustomed to Namibian Ministry of Fisheries officials at the highest level officially supplying ‘bogus’ statements and data to prop up and support this cruel baby seal bashing industry that should have ended in 1972 when the US banned Cape fur seal product imports from South Africa and Namibia. Instead, millions of baby seal pups have continued to be slaughtered in a clear extermination plan of this endangered seal species. A seal species found nowhere else on earth and effectively reduced to the size of 500 metres by 800 metres.

One of the most glaring, is the claim that Cape Cross seal colony in 2007, Namibia’s largest seal colony and largest tourist attraction, which attracts 100 000 international visitors each year, earning for the Namibian government who sells the visitor’s viewing permits, earning over 4 million Namibian dollars in ticket sales alone as opposed to the 206 000 Namibian dollars derived from the sealing industry, recorded its highest number of pups born, and could therefore support the largest seal pup culling quota on record of 85 000. To then become the largest seal cull in the world. For Seal Alert-SA to then discover after my meeting with the Namibian Prime Minister, that flying over the seal colony, just 40 days into the 139 day sealing season, the seal colony was completely deserted with tourists filmed standing where the seal colony once was.  

 

       Although the Namibia relies heavily on foreign aid and investment from the EU, its largest tourism partner. The recent 27 country EU, 550 – 49 parliamentary vote in May 2009 to ban all Namibian Cape fur seals product imports due to its cruelty, was ignored in general by Namibian media.

 

Days before Namibia, the least populated country on earth is about to start the largest Seal Cull in the world on 1 July 2009, whose seal products are banned in 31 countries, including the US and EU . The state owned New Era newspaper releases an article, “Namibian Seal Products Feature in Turkey – by Desie Heita” (http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=4782 ), claiming “Namibian seal products that are processed in Turkey and turned into the best and most pricey fur jackets”. The article attempts to claim that one fur seal skin buyer, Hatem Yavuz whose business logo on his website reads, “skins are our business” is doing a roaring trade with Namibian sealers. Claiming further trade with Turkey over the past 6 years exceeds 1 billion Namibian dollars.

 

      Clearly the purchases and exports to Turkey, who is not a member of the EU, is in fact an excuse to side-step the EU Seal Product import ban. Is this legal smuggling ?

 

      Hatem Yavuz’s email to Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA, the organization leading the international campaign to end Namibia’s Seal Cull, reads differently, 10th June 2009, “I have already stopped the purchase of Namibian seals which were supplied by Norway and Canadian co since December 08, due to the economic fallout we have in general stopped furs, I don’t understand why the fuss. I am not the one buying the raw skin”. In another email dated 8th June 2009, it reads, “However we purchased for 3 years dressed seals that was offered to us from Canada,Norway,Greenland and Namibia itself. The current eco crisis has led us to halt buying many fur products”. In another email dated 10th June 2009, “Do you have a contact number…..for a short talk”. In this short 1 hour talk from Australia, Hatem Yavuz claimed to have started purchasing Namibian seal skins in 2006. CITES (Convention In Trade of Endangered Species) trade database confirms that Hatem Yavuz’s purchased 48% of Namibia’s seal skin exports in 2006, this rose to 60% in 2007, and then as per his telcomm conversation, he was the only Namibian seal skin buyer willing to purchase Namibian seal skins in 2008, and purchased 23 000 seal skins, as this is all the Namibian sealers had managed to harvest on a seal pup quota of 85 000. Confirming his email above, that he has stopped purchasing Namibian seal skins, as he still has some 20 000 skins in stock, although commenting that he has been contacted by both Namibian sealers and government and urged to place orders for 2009 season, which he has declined.

 

      A week later, the same reporter and newspaper releases another article on 15th June 2009, “Seal Fur An Investor’s Gold Mine – by Desie Heita” (http://www.newera.com.na/article.php?articleid=4948 ).

In this article a number of ‘bogus’ statements are made and Seal Alert-SA would therefore like to set the record straight.

 

      Although the article was published on the 15th June 2009, and I quote, “Meanwhile, the recent publicity on the group has also attracted the attention of Seal Alert South Africa, an animal activist movement based in South Africa that seeks to end the hunting of seals in Namibia”, Seal Alert-SA only received an email from this reporter after the article on the same day, it reads, “Dear Mr Hugo, My name is Desie Heita a reporter with New Era newspaper. If you could kindly respond to my questions below: -Is it true that Seal Alert SA has threatened massive boycotts and demonstrations against Yavuz Group to stop the buying of Namibian seal fur? -Could you elaborate on this? “. If this reporter knew I was involved, as the article reads, why did she not objectively seek comment prior to publication?

 

      “Puppy seals pose the cutest animals in pictures, and it is no wonder animal activists often prefer to use puppy seal pictures in anti-fur campaigns. They strike some sort of endearing pose that ignites human compassion similar to that of pets”. The simple fact, is Namibia’s sealing quota of 91 000 seals, consists of a baby seal pup quota that accounts for 85 000 or 90% of the quota. This method of clubbing baby seals has been banned throughout the world, except Namibia. Seal Alert-SA has never used ”cute puppy pictures in the media”, all our front page footage shows a baby seal pup vomiting up white mother’s milk in shock when beaten to death. 

 

     “Established in 1975 the Yavuz Group of companies has been dealing in raw skins, wool and furs since its establishment in 1975. It is based in Australia and has establishments in Turkey, Russia and South Africa.” Hatem Yavuz’s own telcomm contradicts this somewhat, in which he claims he only started purchasing Namibian seal skins in 2006.

     ”For Namibian seal harvesters, dead seals earn them attractive foreign earnings. The Yavuz Group, which imports sealskins from Namibia, cites foreign earnings as one of the benefits of its engagement in the Namibian seal harvesting industry.” The articles goes on to say, “Up until our involvement, Namibian seal harvesters received scanty payments for their products. We increased the prices of Namibian seal skins by 150 percent, because of the quality of skins,” says the group director Hatem Yavuz.” Is the “quality of the skins” referred to, due to the fact, that sealing regulations require all sealers to club to death all the seal pups as the only method allowed, to ensure the quality of the skin ? It has already been established that Hatem Yavuz only started buying in 2006, during my meeting with the Ministry of Fisheries in 2007, it was stated that Namibian sealers revenue on the 91 000 sealing quota, where it was further claimed, 83 071 seals were harvested, was 5 million Namibian dollars (450 000 Euros). If we then subtract Hatem Yavuz’s 150 percent, prior to 2006, Namibian sealers were earning 24 Namibian dollars for each dead seal prior to Yavuz’s involvement or just 2 Euros.

 

    Hatem Yavuz’s then 150 percent claimed increase due to the quality of the skins, in reality, turns a dead endangered seal pup skin, into a 5 euro skin over the last 3 years, hardly a massive improvement, considering harp seal skins in Canada fell from USD $100 to just $14, but as Namibia’s sole seal skin buyer, one has to wonder how long he will continue to offer this now that he has the world market control over Namibian fur seal skins. Already he has confirmed he is no longer buying Namibian seal skins. 

 

    The article goes on to say, “Prices for the fur jacket range from 5,000 Euro and depending on the quality and the make, the jacket could carry double-digit price figures of just below the 100,000 Euro mark”. Namibian Ministry of Fisheries, official Seals Press Release in 2007, refute these claims, and I quote, “Seal harvesting is an economic activity and can not be done away with. Sealing industry in Namibia sustain about 140 direct jobs of the unemployed, poor and destitute. It is our obligation to ensure that they have a future. Seal Alert-SA is encouraged to meet them and witness how the sealing industry has added value to their lives”. 

 

    This is further contradicted, in the article. on 13th May 2009, in which, “Namibia to Continue Culling Seals, Says EU Decision ‘Emotional’” with the Minister of Fisheries stating, The EU is not a market of note for us,” Iyambo said in Windhoek, the country’s capital. “It was just an emotional decision”. One has to therefore question why New Era’s article quotes the prices for Namibian fur seal skin jackets selling for between 5000 and 100 000, in Euros. When knowingly the 27 countries of the EU, has in fact banned the import of all Namibian seal products, including skins, meat and oil ? 

    Additionally, Seal Alert-SA did in fact meet with the sealers in 2007. It found the Namibian seal clubbers living in cardboard shacks in the desert, no roads, running water, sanitary or electricity (see pic above and video tape on http://www.ecoeye.org/ecoeye/Film%20database/CF593352-3B8E-49EB-9029-C9D60D2A3A6A.html ).

 

    So who benefits from the 100 000 Euros each Namibian fur seal jacket earns, Hatem Yavuz living in Australia or Namibian sealers ? By Namibian Ministry of Fisheries own words, after 17 years of seal harvesting, the “140 sealers remain unemployed, poor and destitute”, and only employed part-time. How much of the 5 Euros for each beaten to death clubbed seal pup, do the Namibian sealers in Namibia actually receive or does the bulk of the 5 million Namibian dollars the sealing industry earned from beating to death 91 000 endangered seals go straight into the pockets of two white controlling sealing rights holders, that have other business interests.

 

    The article continues, “We are now receiving calls from interested investors asking all sorts of questions regarding investment opportunities. For us it has given us leverage to enter into other businesses in Namibia. We are looking at entering food processing and production as well as mining in Namibia. These would be set up in the country,” says Yavuz”.

 

    Seal Alert-SA draws a word of caution. Naturally from such lucrative 5 euro investments,  exploitive profit investors would be asking questions, but is that task of the Prime Minister of Namibia to exploit his country’s living endangered seals, by making them dead fur jackets for peanuts,  but also his fellow Namibian citizens, who elected him to office, so that one individual living in Australia can profit huge sums for his personal private gain. I thought independence meant freeing Namibian’s from this type of exploitation, it is just a pity, the Namibian seal clubbers do not get or read their own local newspapers, and see how their work earns 100 000 Euros, whilst they live in cardboard shacks in the desert and earn peanuts.

 

    Its no wonder Namibia remains a third world banana republic of independence. Whilst Cape fur seals annually generate sustainable, proper work and income, that sees, over 500 000 visitors paying 50 million Namibian dollars for the simply pleasure of viewing this natural wildlife species found nowhere else on earth get exterminated from the earth.

 

For the Seals

Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA

27-21-790 8774

Namibia – Following EU Seal Product Import Ban, Buyer’s of Fur Skins from the World’s Largest Seal Hunt, can’t be Found

NAMIBIA - Following EU Seal Product Import Ban,

Buyer’s of Fur Skins from the World’s Largest Seal Hunt, can’t be Found

 

85 000 endangered mother’s milk drinking baby Cape fur seals clubbed and stabbed to death on Namibia’s coastline, starting 1 July

Hatem Yavuz Group, “Skins are our business” Namibia’s last seal skin buyer

 

 

Namibia : On 1 July 2009, the least populated country on earth along the oldest desert in the world, who maintains it’s constitution allows it conduct the largest cull of wildlife on the African continent – will become the world’s largest seal hunt in the world and yet had only one buyer for skins in 2008, and cannot find a buyer for the 2009 season. 

 

     So small has Namibia’s seal population been reduced to ecologically by commercial sealing, its entire seal population could fit on one small 44 ha island (an area measuring 500 m x 800m), along a coastline of over 1600 km, already 98% of seals former colonies on islands have been exterminated and today remain extinct. In comparison, South Africa’s largest offshore seal colonies sits on only 2 ha, and has 60 000 seals on it.

Namibia’s total seal population which could fit in an area measuring 500 metres by 800 metres, is considered such a threat to Namibia’s industrial fisheries, that all it’s seal babies born each year must be exterminated in an annual cull.

 

     Namibian scientists in 2007, confirmed the seal pups in Namibia have suffered an average natural mortality since 1990 of 44% each year, prior to start of sealing season on 1 July, subtracting this from the seal pups born on the sealing colonies, Namibia’s seal pup quota exceeds the number of pups alive. 

 

     An Australian Company is behind the World’s largest and Cruelest Seal cull. Seal Alert-SA has launched an international campaign to expose and pressure Namibia’s only remaining seal skin buyer – Hatem Yavuz Group (43 A Ethel St, Seaforth N.S.W, Sydney – AUSTRALIA. Tel +61 (02) 9948 5366, Fax +61 (02) 9948 5377. Owner Hatem Yavuz, email hatemyavuz@superonline.com ), with offices in Turkey, Russia and South Africa, whose head office is in Australia, but does his purchases through Turkey to possibly avoid the EU seal import ban, as Turkey is not a member of the EU. To accept world opinion and that of his own government in Australia, and that of the US and the EU, that has banned Namibian commercial seal culls and their product imports due to the cruelty involved.

 

     Hatem Yavuz’s sole purchaser of Namibia’s Cape fur seal skins in 2008, makes this Australian company the sole reason for the continued financial viability of Namibia’s two sealing company’s and their part-time 120 baby seal clubbers conducting the cruelest baby seal cull on earth. Interestingly the Australian fur seals which have not been commercially harvested since 1975, are a sub-species of Cape fur seals.

Hatem Yavuz is the man, effectively behind the last baby seal cull on earth, which is also now the world’s largest seal cull and cruelest.

 

     Seal Alert-SA’s 2009 campaign “Hate’ em Stop Buying Namibian Seal Skins” is asking Hatem Yavuz and his company the Hatem Yavuz Group to issue a public statement accepting the cruelty involved in Namibia’s seal cull (As stated by the US and EU governments) and ethically undertaking never to purchase Namibian Cape fur seal skins again, as already seal culling has seen 98% of seal’s former colonies on islands, collapse and become extinct, and is currently driving the remaining seal herd’s towards extinction on the mainland.

 

     The world market for seal skins, particularly Namibian Cape fur seal skins is dead, but Namibia refuses to announce an end to its cruel seal clubbing policies.

 

     Although Canada used to have the previous distinction, with a sealing quota of 320 000 on a population DFO believes is over 5 million harp seals, Canadian sealers in March this year, slaughtered 60 000 due to pending EU Seal product import ban, collapsed market and a decline in seal skin prices.

 

     On 1 July, Namibia’s total seal population on 26 seal colonies, which could all fit on just one island off Namibian desert coastline of just 44 ha in size (which still lies extinct), and whose population is five-times smaller than the Canadian harp seal population, will be subjected to a sealing quota of 85 000 pups and 6000 bulls.  The 91 000 Cape fur seals to be slaughtered within a few weeks, mostly baby seal pups, will give Namibia the distinction of, the largest seal hunt on earth.

 

     Although terrestrial wildlife have over 100 million ha of land protected for them in southern Africa, Namibia’s seal population as a species, has effectively been reduced to just 500 m by 800m.

 

     Ignoring the United States import ban on Cape fur seals in 1972, due to the cruelty involved in Namibia’s current sealing methods or that the world’s remaining sealing countries of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia banned the practice in their own sealing regulations in 1987, citing clubbing a nursing seal pup in a breeding colony to be cruel. Namibia prides itself that 90% of its sealing quota is nursing seal pup based, with regulations requiring sealers to beat less than one year old seal pups to death, as the only sealing method, and may not shoot them.

 

With the Fisheries Minister Abraham Iyambo ignoring his own constitution which prevents a cull of its wildlife, as reducing a wild seal population is unconstitutional and who ignores his country’s own Animal Protection Act, which states beating an animal to death is a criminal offence. Equally disregarding that he has increased the seal cull quota, of over 800% from 9000 in 1990, to 85 000 seal pups. When in fact between 1994-2006, overfishing by the same Minister, saw the largest seal die-off from starvation ever recorded over several breeding seasons, effectively reducing Namibia’s seal population by half.

 

     Ignoring Russia’s President’s public statement, “that the seal clubbing is a bloody business, that should have ended long ago”, when he announced the end of Russia’s Seal Hunting policies or the EU’s recent vote of 550-49, in May 2009, for an all seal species, all seal product import ban for all 27 countries of the EU, which specifically listed Cape fur seal hunt in Namibia, as the world’s second largest.

 

     Namibian Minister of Fisheries Abraham Iyambo’s reaction to the EU Seal Import Ban thereafter was, “Namibia to Continue Culling Seals, Says EU Decision ‘Emotional”, and went on to say, “The EU is not a market of note for us.

 

     As Cape fur seals, are listed as an Appendix II endangered species in 1977, by the United Nations – Convention In Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), all exports/imports by the 173 countries, which includes Namibia, which are signatory to the CITES convention, are required to submits permits. These permits of exports/imports can be tracked on CITES database. 

 

     In 2000, Namibia doubled its seal pup quota from 30 000 to 60 000, and yet sealers could harvest only 35 000. In 2006, the Minister increased the seal pup quota further by 30%, to 85 000 seal pups, and then acknowledging the seals were suffering the largest mass die-off from starvation every recorded in the world for any marine species, effectively reducing the seal population by half. Namibian sealers found only three buyers, and exported 13 550 skins to Greece, 15 177 to Norway and 17 813 Turkey. In 2007, Namibian sealers could only find buyers in just two countries, Greece 10 056 and Turkey 15 028. Between 2006 and 2007, Namibian seal skin exports declined from 46 540 to 25 084. In 2008, Namibian sealers could only find one buyer in one country, and exported 23 000 seal skins to Hatem Yavuz in Turkey.

 

    One has to question how the Minister of Fisheries can claim sustainable utilization of the seals and issue a sealing pup quota of 85 – 80 000. When the sealers were only able to fill between 52 % – 31% of the quota?

 

     In June this year, just weeks before Namibia’s annual seal cull, starting on 1 July, Namibian state owned newspaper NewEra released an article, “Namibian Seal Products Feature in Turkey – by Desie Heita”, and claim Namibian sealers were doing a roaring trade with Turkey and the Yavuz group.  

 

    Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA, the organization leading the international campaign to end Namibia’s cruel baby seal pup slaughter, after having met with Namibia’s Prime Minister in 2007, managed to secure a full 27-country EU seal import ban on all seal products from Namibian sealers within just 2 years, and has now been in email and telcomm communication with Namibia’s last Cape fur seal buyer, Hatem Yavuz of the Yavuz group. Hatem Yavuz’s hour long phone call from his Head Office in Australia, tells a different story, as does his email dated, 10 June 2009, reads, “I have already stopped the purchase of Namibian seals which were supplied by Norway and Canadian co since December 08, due to the economic fallout we have in general stopped furs, ……… I am not the one buying the raw skins”. In his telcomm communication, he confirmed that he last purchased 23 000 Namibian seal skins in December 2008, as this is all the Namibian’s sealers were able to harvest, and he was the only buyer prepared to purchase Namibian fur seal skins. He further confirmed Namibian sealers and government have been pushing him to order seal skins for the 2009 season, but as he still has some 20 000 skins left, he is not interested in purchasing skins this year.

 

    In further communication, it appears as if the two sealing company’s owners, are not too keen to pursue further seal culling either, as the market is dead, seal numbers are low and they both have other business interests. Sealing is just a side-line business, and are involved only because they have had sealing rights for a long time.

 

    With the recent EU seal import ban in May 2009, due to the cruelty involved, one has to question why Namibia does not announce an end to its sealing policy, as South Africa did on the same endangered seal species in 1990.

 

    Information received, its that Namibia is hell bent on exterminating the seal population in Namibian waters, with the belief, that commercial fisheries will benefit from such extermination. Could somebody please tell Namibia and its Minister of Fisheries, as I have tried, that 90% of it’s seal cull which is based on clubbing nursing baby seals, who do not eat solids or fish, but drink mother’s milk at the time of culling, and who vomit up white milk in shock, will have no benefit for fisheries – as seal pups do not eat or catch fish. Namibia’s seal culling policy actually exempts all “fish eating seals” as no market exists for their coarse seal skins. 

 

For the Seals

Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA

27-21-790 8774

Seal Alert-SA Releases “Touching Seals” DVD to Save Cape Fur Seals in Southern Africa

Dear Cape Fur Seal Supporters,

 

    It has been some time since my last update to you. I wish to thank you for all your support in various campaigns, petitions and funding. In a way to thank you, I have produced a DVD that details the life of the Cape fur seal as a specie, along 3000km of coastline, spanning two oceans and covers my rescue work and campaigns over the past ten years.

 

    Since my meeting with the Prime Minister of Namibia to attempt to persuade him to stop the seal culling in 2007, I have secured Namibia’s two largest incoming tourist countries, Netherlands and Germany to introduce a ban on Cape fur seal product imports, and later the whole of the EU. This resulted in not only Cape fur seals, but all 30 species of seals, including the 15 species hunted worldwide involving over 15 million seals, to be included in the EU Seal import ban. An achievement I am most proud of. In addition, I have expanded my existing private seal rescue facilities at Hout Bay harbour and this past season rescued over 60 baby seals pups which required the purchase of over 40 tons of fish to undertake their year long rehabilitation.

 

Seal Alert-SA Releases “Touching Seals” DVD to Save Cape Fur Seals in Southern Africa

On July 1, 2009 – Namibia, will become the largest seal hunt in the world with the slaughter of 91 000 endangered and protected baby Cape fur seals (Larger than Canada, who this past year killed 60 000 seals, even though the quota was 280 000 on a seal population 5-times larger). 90% of Namibia’s sealing quota will involve the clubbing to death of baby seals, all still suckling mother’s milk.

 

A process, even stopped by the world’s remaining sealing countries of Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia in 1987, that found killing a nursing baby seal to be cruel..

 This is after the US banned Cape fur seals product imports in 1972 due to it’s cruelty factor, and after being listed by the United Nations – Convention in Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) as an appendix II protected species in 1977, to which 173 countries are signatory to, including Namibia, and after South Africa stopped all commercial culling on the same species without any further population increases, adverse ecological impacts or increased commercial fisheries competition in 1990, and after several mass die-off’s from starvation of the seals have occurred between 1994 – 2006,  and after Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA sat down with the Prime Minister of Namibia in 2007 and 34 stakeholders two weeks later in Namibia, and after sealers completely destroyed and exterminated Namibia’s largest seal colony at Cape Cross in 2007, which is also their largest tourist attraction earning over N$4 million, and after, Namibia’s two largest incoming tourists countries, the Netherlands and Germany, both introduced a ban on Cape fur seal product imports, later that same year, and finally, after the EU recently voted overwhelmingly 550 – 49 to introduce a ban on all seal products imports in May 2009.

 

The pup sealing quota, does not take into effect the natural mortality of pups (unnatural predation by Jackals and from starvation), pegged by Namibia’s own scientists at 44%, prior to the start of the sealing season. Therefore the sealing quota awarded to two sealing companies exceeds the number of seal pups left alive on seal colonies. Each year, Namibia exterminates the total pups born each year.

 

Namibian Minister of Fisheries, Abraham Iyambo reply is, “Namibia to Continue Culling Seals, Says EU Decision ‘Emotional’ ” on the 13 May 2009.

Even though Namibia’s own constitution prevents it from commercially culling wildlife, as by definition a seal cull, reduces a seal population, and its Animal Protection Act, finds beating an animal to death a criminal offence.

So what do you do with a country, that is the least populated country on earth, ignores world opinion, scientific or governmental, who exports all it’s seal products, as Namibian’s have no use for fur skins in a desert, which only creates employment for 120 part-time seal clubbers, which is guilty of cruelly carrying out the largest slaughter of baby fur seals along the oldest desert in the world, becoming in the process, the largest slaughter of wildlife on the African continent. Whilst it ignores the plea’s of it’s biggest employer, the De Beers Diamond corporation to cease seal culling ?

A country, that has already through its seal culling policy, caused the extermination and permanent extinction of 98% of seals original habitat on offshore islands and is hell bent on driving the entire species 2000km north into extinction, by forcing fur seals to live in climates equal to the tropical Seychelles, in now very warm Angola.

A country who intentionally bans seals from their natural habitat islands, to force them to breed on the mainland in order to club and cull them to death.

You produce a DVD that graphically shows what mankind has and is doing to a seal species found nowhere else on earth, and the only seal species breeding on the African continent, and you show what the life of a Cape fur seal is, colony by seal colony, along 3000 km of coastline spanning two oceans, whilst one individual, Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA, tries equally to save and rescue the species, and at the same time the lives of over 5000 seals over the past 10 years, to prevent this ecological species extermination.

 

     Namibia claims its motive for culling seals is based on the consumption of fish seals eat, yet 90% of the sealing quota, is baby seal pup based, where the regulations require sealers to only club to death < 1 year old seal pups. These baby seals, all of which are too young to consume solids or eat fish, and who all vomit up mother’s milk in shock when clubbed. In fact, all the fish eating seals of all other age groups are exempt from the clubbing. It is therefore illogical Namibia’s claim it is culling seals to protect fish stocks, particularly as Namibia exports 99% of its commercial fisheries to Europe.

 

     The aim of the DVD is to educate and inform each potential tourist considering visiting Namibia, South Africa or Angola, to make an informed decision before visiting, about it’s protection of its natural living wildlife, and in particular Cape fur seals.

Recently I appeared alongside US president Barrack Obama in a leading Japanese environmental magazine, in which it was claimed, Francois Hugo and Obama to be amongst the world’s emerging leading top 20 environmentalists making changes, among the list is Kevin Rudd Minister Environment of Australia.

 

    You can order the DVD directly from Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA via email (sasealion@wam.co.za), the first edition is in English, and later editions will be translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, German, Chinese and Japanese. The retail price which includes postage will be SA Rand 200 or USD $ 25 or Euro 20. Each DVD is separately numbered and personally signed autographed by my wife, Nelda and myself. 

Seal Alert-SA Postal Address. SEAL ALERT-SA, BOX 221, POSTNET, HOUT BAY, 7872, SOUTH AFRICA

HEREWITH IS FURTHER DETAILS FOR BANK TRANSFERS:

ZAR is South AfricanRand

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