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 . 

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"The Seals of Nam" – a true horror story

Ok. So Christmas has come and gone and we sit here patiently waiting for the new years celebrations to begin. As I reflect on the year behind me, I can honestly say 2010 was a most rewarding year. Sure it had it’s low points, but I chose at the beginning of the year to make a difference, not only in my life, but in the lives of others as well. I bungee jumped the worlds highest, I walked with cheetahs, I climbed a mountain, I joined Sea Shepherd, I helped organize anti whaling demonstrations and am now busy with THE SEALS OF NAM 

The Seals of Nam getting beaten to death in Namibia

“The Seals of Nam” is an initiative whereby I hope to bring ALL interested parties from around the world to join forces in condemnation of the cruel and barbaric practice of seal clubbing. 91 THOUSAND Cape Fur Seals are clubbed to death on the beaches of Namibia. 67 THOUSAND Harp Seals are clubbed to death on the ice floes of Canada. 21 March 2011 is International Human Rights Day. It is Namibian Independence Day. And… it is the day set aside for international protest action for the thousands of seals brutally clubbed to death each year. 


You, the reader of my humble blog, are also invited to take part and become active in trying to stop the gross and inhumane practice of seal clubbing. Don’t think that as an individual you can’t do anything. There is LOADS you can do to become involved. This evil thrives because good people are not taking any action.  


Here is a list of just a few things you can easily do. Not only will you be doing a favour for the seals of Namibia and Canada, but you will also feel good about yourself, knowing you have played a role in trying to prevent this annual slaughter. 


Spread the word. Inform media, radio stations, news papers etc.Tweet and blog the about “The Seals of Nam -a true horror story.” For more info on the horrors of the Namibian Seal Cull, click here 

Invite all you Facebook friends and e-mail contacts to this global event.http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142174952503151

Start a protest in your city for the 21st March 2011. Its actually easier than you think. Here are some tips  Keep me informed on progress, so I can open communication channels between groups from the same place. This will make the campaign so much more effective.

You can sign online petitions and send mail to celebrities asking them to actively support and promote our initiative. Pamela Anderson, Paul McCartney and Charlize Theron are known to actively protest against the fur industry. Charlize in particular. She comes from South Africa and Namibia is its neighbour. Charlize supports the rhino cause as well as many others. Here is one contact address for her

Charlize Theron:
Postal address: c/o United Talent Agency
9560 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 500
Beverly Hills
CA 90212
USA

Oprah is looking for people to interview for her final season. Suggest Francois Hugo from Seal Alert SA who has been at the forefront of this fight for years. Ellen Degeneres is also big into animal welfare. The more people who request it, the greater our chances at getting the exposure we so desperately need.

Contact all the big name movements (and the little ones too), Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, PETA, Bridget Bardot, WWF, Coalition to Abolish Fur Trade, WSPA, Animal Liberation Front, Vegan Society etc. Inform them that there is not a single animal charity to have an active campaign to protect “The Seals of Nam” Invite them to join this global initiative, where interested parties put aside their differences and work towards the common good. We shall, despite our differences, unite as one in condemnation of these atrocities. March 21 2011 is not only Human Rights Day and Namibian Independence day but ESPECIALLY the day for Cape Fur Seals, “The Seals of Nam” Provide these organizations with a link to this facebook events page.http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142174952503151

As the groups join, they are to please indicate the Name of the Org on the wall, the name of the contact person, city or region and provide a link to their website. I will update the page accordingly and they will be credited as being “on board” If I miss one in error, they can please remind me by contacting me directly so I can fix.

Hatem Yavuz is the sole buyer of Cape Fur Seal pelts. He drives this murderous cull. You can mail him your thoughts. Tell him his time as “King of the Cull” is up. Here are contact details for his business
Hatem Yavuz Deri
43A Ethel Street
Seaforth
Sydney
Australia
…tel: (61-2) 9948 5366
e-mail hatemyavuz@superonline.com
If you do get a response, please post it on the event page.

You can also send mails to the Namibian Government. Here is a list  of all their embassies, high commissions and consulates. Tell them you will boycott not only their tourism, but also all Namibian produce and you will actively discourage people from visiting their country if they do not end the cull. You can inform travel agents and ask them not to promote Namibia as a destination.Provide an alternative solution to the cull, such as large scale eco-tourism, which will not only generate increased wealth, but will also lead to the creation of many jobs in a country desperate for employment.

The SPCA in Namibia have both the legislative power and mandate to end this cull. Not only are they not living up to their name, The Society for PREVENTION of CRUELTY to animals, but they have CONDONED this madness, publicly stating that the violent clubbing of 91 000 seals to death is HUMANE!! I kid you not. Here is a news article
The Animal Protection Act of 1962 (Namibia) applies to all animals, it governs both domestic animals as well as wildlife. The act clearly states that beating an animal to death is an act of cruelty. This link will take you to the contact page of their website. Please feel free to send them as much hate mail as you wish.

Francois Hugo of Seal Alert SA with one of his beloved seals

At the time of writing this post, I am pleased to announce that Seal Alert SA and Oceanic Defence have confirmed full support. I have Pete Bethune from Earthrace signing off on funding and getting final confirmation and Sea Shepherd have also expressed interest. 


Thanks so much. Have a safe holiday and an amazing and productive 2011. 

The Namibian Seal Cull

We all know about the Canadian Seal Cull. Disgusting, barbaric. But how many are aware of the Namibian seal cull? Do you know that the Namibian cull is the largest slaughter of its kind on the planet? It is considered to be the most brutal of all culls and is now officially responsible for the death of more seals than the Canadian cull.

terrified seals run for their lives

On the first of July, 85 000 suckling seal pups and a further 6 000 bulls will be killed in the annual cull. For the next 139 days, terrified pups will be rounded up, seperated from their mothers and be violently beaten to death. The colony will be rounded up at daybreak. Pups, bulls and mothers will surrounded and kept away from the safety of the sea. Men with clubs move in and the seals run in fear.

The babies vomit their milk up in fear

The sealers will cut the little ones throats, sometimes while they are still alive. The baby seals are known to be so terrified that they vomit up their mothers milk. The sand on the beach is stained pink from all the blood. Carcasses are thrown onto the back of waiting vehicles and the bull-dozers come in to clean up the beach before the tourists arrive to view the colony. 

There is not ONE animal charity that has an active campaign against this mindless slaughter. Not ONE! And each year, despite a declining population, the quota gets increased. But before I get into the quota, I want you to consider the following.

The cruelest of all culls

The Cape Fur Seal is listed on Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. (CITES) This means that they are not yet threatened with extinction, but their survival is dependent on conservation. They have a natural mortality rate of around 30% within the first few weeks of being born. In Canada, sealing only begins after the pup is fully weaned and is self surviving. The Cape Fur Seal however, takes much longer to wean, up to 11 months. Clubbing begins when they are seven months old. Yes, still baby babies.

Bull-dozers clean up the beach

Loss of habitat, the fishing industry and starvation are major threats to these animals. Between 1994 and 2000 some 300 thousand seals died from starvation. In 1993 the pup production was 164 248 with a sealing TAC quota of 50 850 – (31% of pups) In 2000 the pup production was 147 823 (90% of 1993) with a sealing TAC quota of 60 000 – (41% of pups). In 2006 the pup production was 107 910 (73% of 2000) with a sealing TAC quota of 85 000 – (79% of pups) What justification is there for the Namibian government to increase the quota from 31% to 79% considering the two mass die offs in between where between a third to a half of the population died of starvation? This amounts to a seal genocide! 

Hatem Yavuz

The ministry of fisheries claims it has on several occasions asked the public for a more humane method of culling. To date, no one has come up with a solution. The cull is driven by ONE man. Hatem Yavuz. He has the contract to buy every skin from the Namibian cull until 2019. He pays $7 per pelt while foreign tourists pay $12 to view the colony (after the bull-dozers have cleaned up the beach that is) His solution to the method of culling is, and I quote  “In order for them to feel less pain, they need to be killed with a club that has a nail in it.” Yavuz, who describes himself as an animal lover, is arrogant in the extreme. He wears a necklace made from the teeth of a white whale he killed. Dubbed “The King of the Cull” Yavuz jokes in an interview with Australia’s Seven News that he wears his crown with pride. He laughs at the interviewer and makes silly and snide comments the whole way through. Yavuz and his partner run their business “Hatem Yavuz Deri” from Sydney and apparently also have offices in Turkey, Russia and South Africa. Here is his e-mail address hatemyavuz@superonline.com Feel free to raise your concerns. 

But enough of that particular moron. I now wish to draw your attention to the hero of this story and not the villain. The Patron Saint of Cape Fur Seals is a South African who has fought tirelessly against this Namibian cull. Francois Hugo.  In 1999, Hugo established “Seal Alert-SA” as a “direct hands on organisation to address the imbalances, cruelty and abuse that has plagued this species for 600 years.” Paul Watson, co-founder of “Greenpeace” and founder of “Sea Shepherd Conservation Society” has this to say 

Francois Hugo

” One of the rarest things among people are those who have forged a bond with another species. It is such people that I admire and respect most for they have shaken loose the bonds of anthropcentrism and they have pierced that mysterious but familiar veil that separates us from the other wondrous species that share this incredible planet with us. Francois Hugo is one such person whose profound love for the Cape fur seals manifests itself in a raging passion that  fuels both his anger at the injustice done to the seals and his compassion to do all that he can to defend and protect the seals. Francois is a devoted shepherd to these marvolous creatures and he needs the assistance of every person who can muster up the compassion to support him. Here is a man who is not asking for anything but for people to join his plea to the government of South Africa to help protect and save his beloved seals.”

Francois, for all you have done and all you continue to do, I salute you. Though I cannot do much, I will do my damndest to raise awareness to the plight of these animals and let the world know about the atrocities being perpetrated against them. Thank you.  

If anyone who reads this would like to know more, or if you are able to assist Mr Hugo in any way please contact Seal Alert SA http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/