Monday July 13, 2009, 4:17 pm
Please go to Amy Lou Jenkins' article and leave a comment; just say thank you for spreading the info and keeping the Namibian seal slaughter in the news.
Click red button "Go to Amy Lou's Home Page" to see all articles about Namibian seal slaughter.

To take action GO to:
http://againess-en.wikidot.com/stop-the-slaughter-of-baby-seals#toc14

Monday July 13, 2009, 4:47 pm
UPDATES from Seal Alert:
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release 12 July 2009,
Day 12, and Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA still manages to stop any baby seal pups being clubbed, shutting down and thwarting govt’s attempt to cull seal pups for the first time in sealing history.
Namibian Seals Assist Seal Alert-SA and Hide Out North,
With Australian/Namibian Sealing Industry ‘Hot On Their Trail’,
With Govt Approval
Sealers tyre-tracks is all that remains at Namibia’s largest seal colony (Cape Cross 2007)

Please watch this 4min, BBC Wildlife short clip on the seal pups at Cape Frio in Namibia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fwu6TW-DYY
After speaking telephonically to Hatem Yavuz today, where Hatem again confirmed that no seal pups have been killed this season, Francois Hugo of Seal Alert-SA is not so sure.

When the first seal pup population survey was undertaken in 1972, Namibia had 13 seal colonies. With 4 of these seal colonies remaining on the recently protected 11 offshore islands along the Namibian 1650 km coastline.

The Namibian govt has since 1990. Awarded the Namibian sealing industry sealing rights and pup and bull quotas for two seal colonies. Both of which occur on the mainland unnaturally. Wolf/Atlas Bay in the south, in the De Beers diamond mining restricted area, known as the ’spirregebiet’ and the other Cape Cross, Namibia largest seal colony. The reason for this was simple. In the peak of the population in 1993, these two seal colonies produced 75 percent of the seal pups born in Namibia.

Each mainland seal colony developed as the seals attempted to flee the sealing and disturbance taking place in their original habitat – offshore islands. With the majority are all now extinct and banned. As a result of this disturbance. 8 new seal colonies formed with these fleeing seal refugees.

Following Francois Hugo’s meeting with the Prime Minister in July 2007, where after he later exposed that just 20 – 40 days into 139 day sealing season. Sealers had completely collapsed the largest seal colony with the largest quota on record – Cape Cross. Killing, exterminating or causing every last seal to abandon the colony (see pic above).

Causing escaping and surviving seals to flee once again.

The Namibian Ministry of Fisheries itself confessed in its meeting with Seal Alert in 2007. That at least a further 11 ‘refugee seal colonies’ had developed in 2006 seal pup production season alone. The reason. Sealing pup quotas increasing ten-fold, from 9000 to 85 000 pups, on the existing colonies since independence in 1990.

The largest, and fastest growing ’seal refugee colony’ at Cape Frio near the Angolan border. In 2006, its pup production accounted for 10 percent of Namibia’s seal population, having only developed in 1995. To escape Namibia’s sealing policy completely, 21 000 fleeing seals have colonised an island in Angola, for the first time in the history of this species.

The person driving this endangered seal species extinction and refugee sealing fleeing status – Australian luxury seal fur jacket maker based in Turkey.

Since Hatem Yavuz invested in the Namibian sealing industry several years ago taking control of it. He has persuaded the Namibian govt to treble the pup quota from 30 000 pups to 85 000, to feed his luxury goods business in Turkey.

Persuading even the Namibian govt to ignore the largest mass die-off of marine mammals ever recorded on the planet, in the 2006 seal mass die-off from starvation, due to commercial overfishing and increase the pup quota a further 30 percent.

Whilst Francois Hugo has made an offer to Hatem Yavuz and is in discussions to buy up the sealing rights and quota of the seals in the south, for this year. In an effort to save them from being beaten to death in the cruelest way. Situated in the De Beers diamond restricted area, of Wolf and Atlas Bay. Using his own funds, in the hope that he can secure a written commitment that none of these seals will be killed this season.

Hopefully buying him additional time as well, to raise sufficient pledges to buy out the whole Namibian sealing industry for $14 million, before its too late.

The Seals are increasingly hiding out towards the north. Helping to buy time, so Seal Alert-SA can raise the funding for the buyout. Each day won, is a life-time to each of the 85 000 pups.

The latest info is that the sealers are hot on the seal pups trail. With govt approval, following the collapse of Cape Cross seal colony in 2007. Moved their seal pup clubbing activities to all the seal colonies, starting in the north, and slowly moving down south when the media attention wanes.

Although I hear, Cape Cross luxury lodge is full at present, with media awaiting the slaughter at Cape Cross to capture footage never before revealed to the public. The sealers have apparently secretly begun seal pup clubbing operations in the far remote northern area of Namibia to escape the eye of the media and public.

This NEW development clearly means one thing. The Namibian govt has now thrown out all so-called scientific utilization of the seals as a resource and conservation sealing quotas based on each colony, and replaced it with “Kill, Kill Kill, Mr Hatem Yavuz – how many luxury seal pup skins do you need for your Turkey operation, Sir Australia”.

When govt increased the pup quota from 60 000 to 85 000 pups in 2006, and then admitted the world largest mass die-off was also taking place. Minister of Fisheries Abraham Iyambo described the increase in pup quota, “minimal”. With Hatem’s Namibian sealers now given access to all the seal colonies in Namibia, and perhaps Angola as well, one can only wonder what Iyambo consider a ‘maximum’ seal pup quota.

Francois Hugo questions why the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) South African director of operations, Jason Bell, has not got back him to regarding IFAW’s decision to assist in the buyout or not. Francois Hugo is sure the Namibian Sealing Industry would accept $1,4 million as a down payment to secure the buyout. When considering IFAW spent a bequest of $10 million on building their new head office, and had $25 million dollar income from donations last year, plus a further $41 million in assets or cash in bank and 3 million supporting members.

It does not seem appropriate that IFAW stands by doing nothing. Whilst the world’s largest seal cull hangs by a thread. A thread a single individual is holding tightly. The largest cull of endangered seals, the last nursing seal pup cull in the world and the largest slaughter of wildlife in Africa and the first seal hunt, following the EU Seal import ban in May, is about to begin or begun.

Depending on who you support and believe.

IFAW needs to clarify its statement to a supporter of the buyout it made 9 days into the 2009 sealing season (see below).
{IFAW's autoreply to Eureka sent on 9th July - the same IFAW sent on 1st to me - they haven't done anything yet???????????}

Monday July 13, 2009, 5:24 pm
Thank you Joanna for being the animal lover that you are.

Monday July 13, 2009, 5:38 pm
Also on examiner site:
Myths keep some from supporting the effort to stop Cape seal slaughter
July 9, 2:34 AM
As Sea Alert SA races to save Cape seals from the annual seal cull, those in favor of the hunt raise arguments. Sea Alert SA is in a race to buy out the hunting rights and stop the cull. Opposition has cultivated what activist Francios Hugo calls "myths" in an attempt to thwart his movement to stop the seal clubbing. Seal Alert SA is in a race to raise millions before the hunt begins. Hugo sends the following response.


One of the reasons that we have not yet raised 14 million is the "myths" floating around, these myths put thousands of pledge supporters off. So lets get straight in and deal with these.

Myth #1 - The EU seal ban will end sealing in Namibia.

It wont, because like the US seal ban in 1972 had no effect, sealers have continued on for almost 4 decades, investing millions in finding new markets in the EU, Russia and China. Sealers will just export their skins to Russia and China. The west is only half the planet, the east is the growing market.

This said, the US ban, and the EU harp pup ban in 1983, did have an affect. As it will cause prices to fall, reduce demand and orders for skins will cease for the short-term. The result in the case of the Cape fur seals, South Africa stopped sealing shortly thereafter, but this was only on 30% of the population in 1990. Namibia too wanted out, and offered IFAW a very cheap deal, pay the levies govt would derive from the cull and re-employ the seal workers, which was very small at the time with a quota of 9000. IFAW rejected the deal. This saw the sealing industry to then invest 3,5 million with east funding, and build new factories and push for increased seal pup quotas now at 10-times, the 1990 quota/harvest.

So if we do nothing, sealers will recover and grow the market, leading to further increases in sealing quota, the species already cannot handle, exceeding the pups on the colonies. Sealers and fur buyers will make greater profits, and plough this further, into other animal fur cruelty operations. If we do nothing its estimated that Namibia's last buyer alone, see profits of 100 million dollars US, from his Namibian seal skin purchases.

Commercially this is why we must react now, when they are still very willing to sellout. In context 14 million is cheap compared to 100 million in profit from fur buyer and 7 million the sealers will earn in next 10 years.

Myth #2 - This is a con, a scheme, a Nigerian scam, either by govt or the sealing industry to fleece gullible members of the public. There is no guarantee that paying the sealers 14 million seal cull will end.

But lets turn this around for a moment. Who is saying this ? Is it the people who must give millions back they have raised off the hundreds of millions they have received for 30 years of campaigning to end seal hunts, which have only grown bigger and bigger and not ended. So is it a convenient cop out on their part, an excuse with no validation? Did these same org's not offer Canada to stop the hunt for one year, and pay them $16 million in 2006. In the Namibia situation, this is now the world's largest seal cull/hunt, and the last nursing baby seal hunt. Unlike the Canadian offer which govt turned down, here you have an industry putting it in writing, their buyout price.

There are two issues to this deal. One is that you are physically buying factories, buildings and equipment from the sealers themselves and the fur jacket makers. In addition, they will be retraining and re-employing the workers. So there wont be a work force of ex-seal clubbers sitting around waiting for someone to hire them. Second, is that you will be buying the "Namibian" sealing rights until 2019, and the sealing quota for the whole country. Govt cannot issue double rights or double the quota, the quota is at its maximum. The species cannot handle the current cull already. The industry will also sign a legal restraint of trade agreement for the next 10 years, where they cannot work or trade with Cape fur seals. In doing so you buy out the industry, and as there is no other factories, it being the least populated country on earth and in a desert, you can effectively shut it down.

The only no guarantee or scam, could come from govt, if they cancel our bought rights and quota (which they could legally do). But considering the current economic market with existing fur buyers not wanting to order skins, it is highly unlikely that some one apply for a quota and then invest millions in factories, training 170 staff, and processing plants, in a depressed market. There are also legal challenges one could mount, to stall the process for years.

But at the end of the day everything is a risk, your life, the car you buy, your house, your insurance policy. There simply is no finite guarantees. To demand so, for your donation of $15 is quite unrealistic. In addition, there are legal way like annual payments or desist payments to keep the sealers and govt honest, so it wont be one lump sum of 14 million handed over.

In addition, but paying the money on the table, if the industry cannot deliver, then its attempted fraud and extortion, where supporters around the world can criminally charge them, even in Namibia, with a very serious offence.

Myth #3 - Its extortion to pay these seal clubbers millions. Its extortion if we dont they will make 10-times this over next ten years from these skins. But seriously, lets look at reality. We pay $7 skin, $11 to view seals in the wild, $25 to campaign to end seal hunts, $100 to adopt a rescued seal, $1250 to rehab a seal and $5000 for a jacket. Is each of us first pledging just $15, asking too much, it costs us nothing. Once we sit down with lawyers and contracts, then and only then will you need to pay. So what is the risk, you risk nothing, and even for nothing you gain, to save a million seals from cruel clubbing, and in fact the whole species.

Worst case scenario, we pay them 10%, and the balance annually. After 2 years govt starts sealing again. We still own the factories, and stopped it for 2 years, and what did it cost us each, $3. Where we saved 170 000 pups that cannot ever be clubbed, because they will now all be older than 1 year.

So I need you to get pledging, and passing it on, the internet can reach millions overnight. We can do it, lets show them. It starts with you.

Questions - ????

Now lets deal with govt myths.

Myth #1 - Cape fur seals are not threaten with extinction there are 850 000 seals.

Well how many ants in an ant hill, if there are a few hundred thousand, does it mean we must destroy all other ant hills on the planet or beehives. Numbers in this context mean nothing. Habitat or seal colonies is the important issue. For 5 million years seals lived on offshore islands. Sealers came along and wiped them out, all of them. Over 23 seal island colonies or 98% of the population, on all the large island of southern Africa have remained permanently extinct. Did govt intervene or stop it, no they were involved themselves in the actual clubbing and selling of skins. So what they have recovered. Recovered from what, near extinction to back to former tens of millions. So where are seals now? Fled to the desert mainland, and grouped together in just a few big colonies. In the 2 sealing colonies, 75% of the pups are now born. Many assume the seals are still plentiful, but even with its peak in the population in 1993, if all the seals in Namibia and South Africa, returned to one former island colony off Namibia, an island called Seal Island, at 44 ha in size. The total Cape fur seal species had effectively been reduced to the size of 500 metres by 800 metres for the entire species. Which can be proven as follows. In SA, our largest offshore colony is Seal Island in False Bay. 16 000 pups born there and 60 000 seals live there. It is 2 ha in size. The total seal population for both SA and Namibia peaked in 1993, at 320 000 pups. Which is 20 times larger than the pups on False Bay colony. The island in Namibia, called Seal Island, extinct and banned to the seals, is 22 times larger than the False Bay island. 44 ha therefore equals 500 metres by 800 metres for the entire species. Geographically over a distribution range of 3000km by 200km out to sea, a pin-prick on a map in context. This is if we assume govt population figures are correct and not computer modeled, I flew over all the colonies in 2 days in 2007, and all I saw was about 10% of what govt claimed existed. There were even colonies where govt claimed tens of thousands existed, I found nothing, not one. The largest colony, Cape cross, govt claims has 200-300 000 seals there, I flew over it, and there was not one seal left, after 40 days of sealing. (See photos on website)

Myth #2 - Seals eat 900 000 tons of fish. Cull is needed to protect commercial fisheries

So what in the 1970s fisheries removed 1,5 million tons of fish from just one species, for pet-food and livestock fishmeal. Further govt scientists confirm seals diet is at least 50% non-commercial fish. If seals ate so much first why did the biggest mass die-off from starvation occur in 2006, and 6 others previously since 1994. Half the population starved to death. If a cull protects fisheries, why has the cull increased from 9000 to 85 000 pups, when fisheries has declined from 1,5 million tons to zero quota. The only scientific research on a seal cull benefitting the fisheries was done on the hake fishing sector in 1994, which found the exact opposite, as seals eat the predator hake of the two hake species, which prey on the more valuable commercial export hake.

Myth # 3 - Seal Cull is Sustainable.


This is the most important under law, for govt is only allowed to kill or hunt seals or fish or any wildlife if done so sustainably. Years ago, Nambian scientists claimed 30% of the population is sustainable as that number dies anyway in the wild (Canada seal hunt is 30% of the pups born). But that was before several mass die-off and collapsed fisheries, which has seen pup mortality increase to double, at 62%. Govt disputes this and claims its 44%. In 2006, when the current and only fur buyer entered the scene, the Namibian govt announced a sudden increase in the sealing pup quota by 30%. Increasing it from 65 000 to 85 000 pups. Without any sound scientific reason to do so. This was after govt has already doubled it in 2000, from 30 000 to 60 000. I had to address this, as the cull from 2006 onwards, would kill all the surviving pups in the colony. The two sealing colonies produced 121 000, less 44% natural mortality prior to the start of cull, would leave 67 000 surviving pups facing a pup quota of 85 000. Sealers would then exterminate all the surviving pups in the colonies, naturally this would lead to the species extinction, as the culling involves over 75% of the breeding population.

No sooner had the 2006 sealing season begun, and I exposed that large numbers of pups were dying, that govt was forced to publicly state in writing that the seal colonies was suffering its largest mass die-off on record, larger than the 1994 incident, which saw all the pups born starve to death during the year and half the adult population, it further had to acknowledge the pups died from starvation due to a lack of fish, but stopped short from admitting it was their overfishing policies by the Minister, that was the actual cause that had also caused several mass die-off incidents since 1994.

What was govt response, it clamed sealers averaged 93% of their quota, killing 77 000 pups on an 85 000 pup quota. To illustrate how false this is, last year sealers only killed 23 000 on the 85 000 pup quota, telling the buyer there were no more seal pups to kill. In the peak of the population in 1993, the quota was 48 000, sealers only killed 33 000 pups or 68% of quota, and this was before the mass die-offs. If sealers did in fact kill, 77 000 then it must have been 2 or 3 year olds, which is a violation of the regulations, as regulations only allow sealers to club

Monday July 13, 2009, 5:48 pm
Thank you Joanna~

Monday July 13, 2009, 6:50 pm
Already signed petition.Noted with thanks Joanna.

Thank you! You signed at 4:21 PM PDT, Jul 2, 2009

Left a comment on Amy's page.

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 12:33 am
Thank you Joanna.

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 1:23 am
Done - Thank you Joanna!

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 2:58 am
Thanks, Joanne! Done!

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 4:42 am
I couldn't comment on Amy's articles - it said to type in characters in the box when submitting, but all I got was a red cross - no characters.

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 6:04 am
Pam, type your comment and click submit, the screen refeshes, your comments are still there and now the charactgers to type displays.

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 6:05 am
Comment left
===============
I still cannot believe that the conservation authorities and world diplomats have not come to Francois' aid, expecially to do the PR while Francois works in the background.

Are there too many egos involved here? I believe so. As for those conservation organisations who are actively trying to scupper this buyout - you know who you are - SHAME ON YOU!!
July 14, 9:03 AM

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 6:27 am
Thank you Joanna.

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 7:20 am
Thanks Joanna.

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 9:57 am
Eureka did you get any other reply than from IFAW???
I got only autoreply from IDA:
idainfo@idausa.org
sent: 1.07 (13 days ago)

Thank you for contacting In Defense of Animals.

If you have an animal emergency, please call our office immediately at (415) 448-0048.

If you are a member of the media please email Dr. Elliot Katz at emk@idausa.org or call (415) 448-0048 x225.

Please also bear the following in mind:

* You also may not receive a response if you are forwarding information to us, such as an article or a Web site link. We will see that it gets to the correct department for review.

* Please do not send your question to other IDA e-mail accounts; we will ensure that your message gets to the proper person. We read all emails and value your comments and suggestions, which will be shared with the appropriate staff members even if you do not receive a response.

* Please allow one week for most inquiries that require responses. If your inquiry needs immediate attention, please call our office at (415) 448-0048.

* Requests for literature that include a mailing address will be fulfilled within five business days. If your request needs immediate attention, please call our office at (415) 448-0048 x216.

* We cannot open any e-mail attachments for security reasons. If you have sent an attachment, please re-send your message with the contents of the attachment (or a description of the contents) within the body of the e-mail.

* You may receive a form response automatically when writing regarding a subject about which we have received a great deal of mail. This allows us to use our time most effectively to help animals, and to provide you with information as quickly as possible.

If you would like to receive information and updates, please sign up for IDA's E-News at http://www.idausa.org/action.

Thanks again for writing and for your interest in animal rights.

Sincerely,
In Defense of Animals
Please support our important work to save animals:

http://www.idausa.org/supportf.html

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 12:45 pm
never ceases to amaze me what asinine comments people can make at the youtube site.
ty Joanna for the article

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 2:11 pm
Joanna, I've received no response from anyone else! The silence is deafening!

Wednesday July 15, 2009, 3:15 am
So done !

Thursday July 16, 2009, 2:34 am
I salute those who try and do make a difference in the terrible acts of man like cunning and animal abuse! I am but a single ordinary man but all I can say is may all Government Officials, Fur-Industries, People in high positions who are suppose to make a difference for the better, but abuse their positions for the cause of making money! May you all answer to the Creator some day! May you pay for your selfish actions! May you all rot in Hell! We are suppose to love and take care of these special animals and not slaughter them!

Shame on Human Kind!

Thursday July 16, 2009, 6:52 am
The seal slaughter has begun.