Holiday in Namibia? FAIL!!!

Each year in Namibia, 85 000 CITES protected baby Cape Fur Seals still suckling from their mothers teats, get savagely beaten to death. Their pelts are sold for a mere $7. A further 6 000 bulls get shot at point blank range so that their penises can be used to make an ineffective aphrodisiac. For more info, click HERE

Boycott Namibia

Boycott Namibia – Namibia Seal Cull

Seal, skinned & left to rot on the ice floes

With all the hype surrounding the Canadian seal cull, regular readers of this blog will know I decided to focus my attentions on the lesser known, but far more violent and cruel, Namibian seal slaughter. I began an intensive campaign called “The Seals of Nam” to spread the word and hopefully draw more attention to this heinous annual onslaught on the Cape Fur seals. Each year, 85 000 baby seals, still nursing from their mothers teats, are savagely beaten to death on the beaches of Namibia. Their pelts are sold for a paltry US$7. A further 6 000 bull seals are shot at point blank range so that their penises can be used to make an ineffective aphrodisiac. Read further and join me in fighting this madness. 

When I first began, I approached Francois Hugo, a man many believe to be the worlds leading expert on these animals. I informed Hugo of my intentions, not only with regards to an awareness campaign, but also to set up international protests and to even go so far as to institute an economic boycott of Namibia. Initially, it appeared as though Hugo was in favour of my plan. He willingly provided me with information and encouraged and supported my efforts. I used some of the info he provided me with on social media sites and credited him accordingly. However, for reasons still unclear to me, Hugo abruptly changed his tune. He accused me of stealing his info and labelled me with all manner of things. In his eyes, I was relegated to persona non grata, and (quoting) “a stupid prick behind a keyboard.” He publicly let it be known that he thought protests and a boycott were a complete waste of time. HIS plan was the only solution to ending the cull. Basically it entailed giving him vast quantities on money. Some US$16 million if I am not mistaken. Personally, I find this amount rather distasteful and amounts to nothing more than emotional extortion. 

Boycott Namibia

Never one to be shy of controversy, I did not allow his personal attack to dampen my enthusiasm for the project I had come to embrace. On the contrary, it strengthened my resolve to find an alternative solution and I began to achieve a certain measure of success. Protests sprang up all over the world, and top notch organizations such as Sea Shepherd, Fur Free SA, Beauty Without Cruelty, Bite Back, Seal Pup Defenders and the International Anti Fur Coalition sprang to my aid. Within a matter of weeks, we had celebrities endorsing our campaign and media were (and still are) reporting on our plans to BOYCOTT NAMIBIA . I am forever indebted to these organizations and cannot begin to thank them enough for their massive contributions.

But how can YOU, the reader of this humble blog, predominantly from countries FAR removed from Namibia, possibly get involved? Well, we have put together a list of simple actions that would undoubtedly help the cause. 

To find out which companies are the major contributors to the Namibian GDP, who you can write to and how you can support the boycott, CLICK HERE

To sign petitions, CLICK HERE

To find a list of things you can do to support us further, CLICK HERE

to go for their coffers

Open Letter to the Government of Namibia

Dear members of the media.

Each year in Namibia 85 000 baby seals are brutally beaten to death on the beaches of Namibia in a cull larger than that of Canada. Journalists who try to film the cull are arrested and detained  by way of non-existent laws. The workers involved in the cull earn below minimum wage. There is no profit sharing scheme in place. The pelts are sold for $7 to an Australian who sells the fur coats for $ 30 000. Is this not absolute gross exploitation? The Cape Fur Seals are listed as threatened on appendix 2 of CITES and are recognised as such by all signatories to the United Nations.

Below is an open letter I have drafted to the Namibian Government. You are welcome to discuss it on air in your talk shows as well as on your news and printed media. This letter is being forwarded to all radio stations, news papers, magazines and tourism institutions and is also being circulated on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

For the attention of the Government of Namibia

Dear Honourable Members

It is with great sadness that I draft this letter as a citizen of neighbouring South Africa. Namibia has for many years been a destination I have looked forward to travelling to, not only for its close proximity, but especially for the multitude of attractions it has on offer. From the magnificence of the Etosha National Park and the Caprivi region to quad bike and 4×4 trails, star-gazing from the worlds oldest desert dunes to the Fish River Canyon and the scattered bones and shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast, Namibia is a place alive with possibilities. It is surely one of the best destinations for any would be adventurer and I can think of few things better than enjoying ice cold Windhoek Beers under the shade of palm trees on the promenades of Swakopmund.

I find it sadly ironic that a country with so much potential choses to isolate itself from international tourism on the basis of its annual seal cull. The violent, savage and cruel beating to death of 85 000 baby seals is totally unacceptable. 

My challenge to you is to put an immediate end to this barbaric practice. The cull is totally unnecessary and does nothing positive for your country except to appease the greedy commercial interests of one Hatem Yavuz. In fact, all the cull is doing is tarnishing your status as viable international tourist destination. Employment for the 150 people involved in the clubbing of seals can (and will) be found if you took the initiative to market your seal colony properly in terms of eco-tourism. 

This correspondence serves to inform you that until the cull is ended, I will boycott your country not only in terms of tourism, but all Namibian produce. I will not drink those wonderful beers as previously mentioned, I will not buy “blood diamonds” from De Beers who support your economy, I will not purchase my favourite hand made German chocolates. I will ensure that any marble, aluminium or tin that I purchase does not come from Namibia. I will inform and discourage my friends from supporting your country and I will continue raising awareness to an international audience by making use of the internet and popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Orkit, Bebo, Google Buzz and StumbleUpon.

Please understand that I am not doing this out of malice or spite, but the continued slaughter goes against every grain of my beliefs. I urge you to become heroes, end the cull and be the proud leaders we would like to look up to.

Kind regards,

On the 15th of March, Myself, FUR FREE SOUTH AFRICA, Beauty Without Cruelty, The International Anti-Fur Coalition, Bite Back and numerous other organizations will be holding mass actions around the world, either in the form of actual demonstrations or via radio and print media awareness campaigns.

If you would like any further information, pictures or actual footage of the cull, or if you have any questions I could assist you with, you are welcome to contact me. I am also prepared to make myself available for any interviews if so required.

Kind Regards,

Patrick Dickens