Just How Many Seals Are Being Killed

Just How Many Seals Are Being Killed, Mutilated, Drowned, Shot, Entangled or Starving To Death Because of Tens of Thousands of Fishermen? How many seals have swallowed fish hooks that will tear their insides apart, ripping open jaws or gums and teeth? Fishing is a Sadistic Evil Business. Just another victim hooked, now the three barb fish hook will prevent him catching fish, and over many weeks will slowly starve to death. Francois Hugo

Meet Sante & Claus

Meet Sante & Claus. Two newbie baby pups rescued on Xmas Day by famous South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, now named Sante and Claus. These newbie’s come from the oldest known seal colony in South Africa, dating back to 100 000 years ago, and which is on the brink of extinction as a seal colony due to human disturbance during the human festive season, and sadly the crucial pupping season for seals. Sante and Claus are the last surviving newbie’s of this colony, and although its a gale force wind hitting Seal Alert’s centre, newbies are happy and warm under heater. Other newbie’s in the past have suffered terrible cruelty with people clubbing them and stoning them, shooting them with guns, and one baby had a rope tried around his neck to a rock which strangled him to death. Francois Hugo

Update On Torn Snout Seal

Update On Torn Snout Seal. Having slept most of the day, our poor chap took a nice long swim in the sea, then returned at mid-afternoon, but was not interested in eating. At the evening feed of pups and newbie’s, he was waiting at the steps of the pup area, and ate well. This morning when I arrived he was sitting next to the pup pool waiting for me to open the roller shutter door. Clearly antibiotics and food was doing wonders, he ate 10kg of pilchards. Which I must place on his flippers, he is took respectful to take from my hand. His wound will take some weeks to naturally close, but he is happy, understanding and fitting in well with the rest of the colony. He even goes outside when I ask him to. Just amazing to see their intelligence when giving them the chance. Francois Hugo

Just Every So Often, You Just Know You Doing Right

Just Every So Often, You Just Know You Doing Right. The morning I received a call about a stranded bull seal. These rescues are normally very difficult as trying to get a big bull to eat or accept handling without getting bitten to pieces is no easy task. But instead I found a poor soul starving to death slowly, he was so weak he could hardly move. I suspect the cause of his problem was a severely torn snout mostly likely caused during a bull fight during mating season. The problem his snout was completely torn open and he was clearly unable to close his nostrils when diving to hunt fish, and as such was starving to death. In situations like these it is best to start off with a working relationship. This is achieved by talking to him, allowing you to approach closer, and then physically making contact, reassuring him all the time, that you are friend not foe. His response was instantaneous and now I could begin saving his life just before Christmas. I started tossing fish onto his flippers, urging him to try and swallow. Little by little he tried and eventually started eating. During which I administered antibiotics into the fish given. Slowly but surely I lead him over the rocks to my bakkie, where with a little encouragement he climbed abroad. By now a large crowd of people had gathered, and they were just amazed a wild bull seal could be handled so easily. In the bakkie I placed a net over him to prevent him falling out and drove back to centre. Once again I lead him out the bakkie and into the centre, where he was then given more fish, so that he understands that this is his place of help and recovery over the months ahead. Easy peasy, no fuss, no violation of his freedom. Just two species working together to save each other in one’s hour of need. He has now fallen fast asleep. Francois Hugo

Seal Alert-SA Honours Supreme Master Ching Hai

Seal Alert-SA Honours Supreme Master Ching Hai. Were it not for Supreme Master Ching Hai support since 2009, the effective use of Africa’s only seal rescue centre would not have been possible or the saving of thousands of seal lives from injuries, entanglement, gunshots or just starvation from overfishing, nor would Seal Alert have to able to turn extinct seal colonies into thriving seal colonies, protected and safe or the latest legal challange to the Namibian govt that resulted in an official investigation by Namibia’s Ombudsman and later a seal conference. Seal Alert-SA’s seal centre is in fact named the Supreme Master Ching Hai/Seal Alert-SA Seal Rescue Facility. It is the most equipped seal rescue response facility of its kind in the world. In a private unveiling a Seal Statue was erected in her honour, looking north to the seal slaughter in Namibia and over the recovering seals rescued, the inscription reads, ” Supreme Master Ching Hai – May You Forever Watch Over Cape Fur Seals”. To all at Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association that have worked so hard to help the seals, we are honoured, and may you all have a great Christmas and the most golden New Year in 2012 – we deeply thank you for giving seals the greatest gift in life, the gift of life itself. Francois Hugo

Christmas Card

 

Seal Alert-SA, Francois Hugo and his wife Nelda and all the Cape fur seals in South Africa, Namibia and Angola would like to thank all its supporters for the tremendous support this past year, we have accomplished so much good together, and we wish everyone a great Christmas and lets hope 2012 will truly be a golden year.  Francois Hugo

Having Lost Mommy

 

Having Lost Mommy, Comforting Is found With My Sibling. No teat, so his wet fur will have to do. Francois Hugo

Mumkin Making Dad Baby Sit

Mumkin Making Dad Baby Sit. I have built an amazing facility for seals, which includes a jetty, floating raft and ramp, catamaran, heaters, 24-hour security, CCTV camera’s, seawater pools, shaded places – and although Mumkin decided to give birth at my facility to Huggie Too, she prefers to nurse her pup outside my facility and educate the passing public. This is giving me huge logistical nightmares, as firstly it attracts huge interest from the public, her baby could get scared and fall off pier or run away and fall into rocks below. So I have to direct one of my security guards to watch her full time. When Mumkin is finished milking her baby, she brings her pup to the front door, where I must then take baby back to the other babies in the nursery whilst mom goes off hunting for the night. In the morning upon her return, I must go and fetch Huggie Too and bring it to her to milk. On the way back and forth each day, I give Huggie Too “flying lessons”. Francois Hugo

finding novel ways of keeping seals out of upstairs

I have had to resort to novel ways of keeping seals from sleeping on the upstairs couch – a swimming shark seems to do the trick! FH

seals prefer islands

Conclusive proof – Seals Prefer Offshore Islands. The recent colonisation of discarded fishing vessels, proves once again what a man-made shame forcing 80% of the seals to pup on the mainland so that they can be slaughtered. These pics also prove that even where there is ample dry land they prefer something offshore. Francois Hugo