Petition the Namibian Ombudsman

The beginning of September I was fortunate enough to make representation on behalf of The Seals of Nam to the Namibian Government regarding their annual seal cull. 

Part of my presentation included handing over a petition with over ten thousand signatures from people supporting a boycott of Namibia and requesting the Government to immediately end the slaughter of 91 000 seals each year (the largest slaughter of wildlife on earth) This was a massive success, as it certainly got the tourism industry very worried. 

The problem with the meeting was that the Ombudsman, who is to make a decision regarding the future of this barbaric practice, failed to give any clear indication as to when he will make decision. He implied that it would be before September 2012. Not good enough. This would allow for another season of slaughter and consequently another 91 000 animals brutally and savagely bludgeoned to death. 

The next step is to petition the ombudsman into placing an immediate moratorium on ALL seal culling activities until such stage as he has made his decision. Clearly, the seal cull in Namibia has been shown to be not only an animal rights issue, but it also impacts on the economy. The workers involved are being exploited to such an extent that they live in makeshift shacks while an elite foreigner, Hatem Yavuz, reaps millions from his fur businesses. We have also produced Namibian legislation, such as the Animal Protection Act and The Marine Resources Act to show that the annual massacre is in contravention of Namibia’s own laws. It is ILLEGAL. 

YOU can help us getting this moratorium passed. Please sign the petition by clicking HERE

NAMDEB

For further info see The Seals of Nam website

The Seals of Nam

Is this not truly a magnificent sight?

These are Cape Fur Seals. This pic was taken at Cape Fria in Namibia. Each year, 85 000 nursing pups are bludgeoned to death for their fur and an additional 6 000 adult bulls get shot so that their penises can be used to make an ineffective aphrodisiac. 


The corruption behind this slaughter is mind blowing. The SPCA in Namibia refuse to get involved, claiming that a seal (according to Namibian law) is not an animal. There is reason to believe diamonds from De Beers are being smuggled out in the corpses of these animals as 60% of the massacre takes place on a Government controlled diamond field. 


For further info, check out “The Seals of Nam” While Francois Hugo of the group “Seal Alert” has been at the forefront of the battle to end the cull for many years, The Seals of Nam approach seems to be helping swing the tide. They are pushing for international boycotts and attack Namibia with a holistic and multi pronged approach, including formal requests to the International Rugby Board to drop Namibia from the Rugby World Cup .