Thursday July 16, 2009, 12:47 am
no.... This is really saddening, horrible news.. And even more saddening are the circumstances - the political games - the pr words - and that nothing was done by the big big organizations.. Thanks Paola. This is a really really sad day..

Thursday July 16, 2009, 1:43 am
These are horrible news! It is a defeat!
I agree completely with François Hugo`s words "Perhaps the world is not ready, for the world’s largest seal pup hunt to end. It is too financially lucrative ‘talking’ about it ending.

Club On ! and keep talking seal supporters and give us all your moooooney. Appears to be the moral of the story !"

BIg organizations no support open my eyes!

Thursday July 16, 2009, 2:01 am
Noted. Hmmm

Thursday July 16, 2009, 2:20 am
Noted..I get so mad. I sign petitions continually to stop the killing of the seals and nothing ever stops them from killing them! GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Thursday July 16, 2009, 2:55 am
I will light my candle again :((
Sadness overwelmes me

Thursday July 16, 2009, 2:57 am
16, July 2009
Compassionate Animal.TV
WFL Endangered Stream Live
by Katia Louise




The slaughter of baby Seals of Namibia began on July 13th, despite record high support to end the massacre this year. The endangered Cape fur seals breeding colonies were invaded by men with clubs earning $100 a month. Seal Alert SA is on the ground in Namibia as witness to the clubbing and vows to never give up until the slaughter is banned.

Approximately 300 seal pups have been clubbed to death on the shores of Namibia. Their bodies have been transported by a 5-ton truck and then off-loaded at the Henties Bay Sealing factory, which belongs to seal concession holder for Cape Cross, Albert Brink. According to a 1993 media report, Albert Brink was a former nature conservation official for the Namibian government.

On July 6th, an official statement made by Frans Tsheehama of the Namibian fisheries and marine resources ministry was faxed to the main stream media, reporting that the killing of Namibia seals had started on July 1, when in fact it had not yet begun. As quoted from the article by Michelle Theriault, an Associated Press Writer and published in the World US News, “Frans Tsheehama of the Namibian fisheries and marine resources ministry said that the season started on July 1 and will run until Nov. 15.” The misinformation lead to over 100 media publications around the world, reporting that the Namibian Seal Hunt was underway with over 90,000 baby seals to be clubbed. Seal Alert SA points out that as of July 12th, no baby seals had yet died at the hand of the sealers. See "World US News" article here: http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2009/07/06/namibian-seal-hunt-to-go-on-90000-to-be-clubbed.html

Francois Hugo of Seal Alert South Africa has been working for the last ten years rescuing and rehabilitating the Cape Fur seals of Namibia. The fight to end this cruel annual slaughter will undoubtedly continue for years to come until one day when either these endangered little animals have become extinct, or enough animal welfare organizations come together in a collaborative effort to shut it down.

91,000 bay Cape Furs have been allocated to die in this year’s official government quota. The final count will be tallied four months from now. What began a few weeks ago for Seal Alert SA as a hopeful, yet controversial attempt to end the annual slaughter for good, has turned to suffering and sadness. This man who wears his heart on his sleeve and is only loyal to the seals, now struggles to fathom the nonsensical reality of unthinkable cruelty to his most beloved companions.

Cast no stones at this hero to seals for his bitterness toward mankind; for he speaks in the tongue of a true and devoted seal warrior. Whose heart is so strong that in light of this travesty no good will shall be honored? Let words not stand in the way of doing the good deeds as our missions do call. The cries of yet another year’s quota of seals will now go unheard. Who will speak out just for the seals and bring this hunt to an end once and for all?





Lean more at Seals of Namibia. http://www.wflendangeredstreamlive.org/namibianseals.html

July 13th Interview with Francois Hugo http://www.13point7billion.org/2009/07/137-billion-years-exclusive-interview.html


Link to this http://wildforlifeactionnews.blogspot.com/2009/07/seal-supporters-from-around-world-light.html

Link to this http://www.compassionateanimal.tv/namibiaseals.html

Thursday July 16, 2009, 3:19 am
Noted and commented.

Thursday July 16, 2009, 4:47 am
Unbelievably tragic - it's so shattering for us - I can only imagine how utterly despairing it must be for Francois Hugo .

Thursday July 16, 2009, 5:11 am
Sadly noted. Very heartbreaking to see all of those innocent animals dying. Thank you.

Thursday July 16, 2009, 7:06 am
Noted, e grazie cara Paola. Francois Hugo had a good idea; but our honest pledges did not suffice to sway the sealing industry. Gets me PO because how many organizations got signatures (and donations) and lots of publicity to save the Canadian and other Arctic seals? Are the Namibian ones different, are they less attractive, are they less worthy? if so please explain me how? If the major organizations do not join with the little guys for the same causes, how on earth are we going to go forward - with anything??? Psssshhh. I am hopping mad.

Thursday July 16, 2009, 8:29 am
Seal Alert-SA, Media Release, 16 July 2009
Namibian Sealers turn Clubs on undercover Film-makers

Details are sketchy. In Namibia near or around Cape Cross Seal Colony today at 7am, Namibian seal pup clubbers, were filmed killing seal pups. For which they have no permit to harvest. Namibian seal clubbers then assaulted the film-crew. A South African well known film-maker Bart Smithers and a Jim Wickens of Eco-storm, a British citizen. They were beaten up by the sealers, and then arrested and put in police custody in a vehicle. It has been further reported sealers then club into the Police vehicle and further beat up the film-makers. Both are now being held at the Police Station in Henties Bay.

The British High Commission in Namibia has been contacted. The release of the men has been called for.

A British investigative journalist and his South African fixer have today been violently assaulted by seal hunters and arrested by police whilst documenting the controversial Namibian seal cull.

Jim Wickens, a reporter with the Brighton-based Ecostorm agency, and Bart Smithers, a freelance cameraman and fixer, were this morning attacked by a group of seal hunters armed with clubs before having their video camera equipment stolen in the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, Western Namibia.

The team, working with Dutch NGO Bontvoordieren, are understood to have been filming the killing of seals for some twenty minutes before a group of hunters approached and assaulted them - reportedly punching them to the ground and hitting them with clubs.

Their cameras and video footage were also seized in the incident, which happened about 7am this morning.

Police subsequently arrived before arresting the pair on suspicion of trespass and obstruction.

According to Jim Wickens, a seal hunter again attacked them whilst they were being held in a police vehicle.

They pair are currently being held at a local police station.

Andrew Wasley, co-director of Ecostorm, said: "We are at present working with the British High Commission in Namibia to establish the full picture and secure the release of our team. Clearly this was a violent and unwarranted attack on two journalists doing their job - gathering information and pictures of the highly secretive Namibian seal hunt."

He continued: "As well as calling for the immediate release of Jim Wickens and Bart Smithers we want the Namibian authorities to investigate the assaults and theft of equipment"

Bontvoordieren - and a growing number of international campaigners - are calling for the immediate release of the pair from police custody.

http://www.bontvoordieren.nl/

PLEASE CONTACT :

Andrew Wasley (Ecostorm) +44 (0)7977 239406 info@eco-storm.com

Claudia Linssen (Bontvoordieren) +31 206766600 info@bontvoordieren.nl

ENDS


For the Seals
Francois Hugo Seal Alert-SA
27-21-790 8774

Thursday July 16, 2009, 1:34 pm
I have lit a candle for them-as for the sealers and the money men driving this-may their karma be swift and merciless.

Thursday July 16, 2009, 8:59 pm
I don't understand this tragic horror. Where do all the petitions go that we sign over and over again. How can we stop this senseless massacre of these baby animals????

Thursday July 16, 2009, 11:26 pm
KILLERS!!! You should be rotting in HELL!
Noted with anger dearest Paola.
Love,
black Dalia:(

Friday July 17, 2009, 8:36 am
So very, very sad........

Friday July 17, 2009, 8:58 am
This is so very sad. Thank you to those heros (Claudia for one) that are trying thier best to work on this issue.
Soooooo sad:(
Tx to all that are working so hard!!! Karma will come around someday (I hope) and kick the sorry Butts of those killers!!!

Friday July 17, 2009, 9:00 am
I keep updated this site

http://sealalertsa.wordpress.com/

Please, visit it

Thank you,

Paola

Friday July 17, 2009, 11:29 am
Paulo, thank you. Any conservation organisation that took money for saving the seals of Namibia should immediately hand the funds over to Francois Hugo. I'm still without my laptop - will only get it Monday next week. I will start a petition to every single conservation organisation, this I swear and I will demand to know how much money they actually raised on behalf of anti-sealing campaigns, and exactly what they did with the money!. What has happened here is a disgrace. Paul Watson split from GreenPeace because he said they were taking money and not doing. He formed the SeaShepherd conservation. Where was GreenPeace in all of this? Where was IWAF? Where were they??????

The South African Govenment has much to answer for here too (my country). We did nothing, in fact we approve of sealing. All the conservation societies in South Africa were VERY, VERY quiet about this issue, bar a handful of souls. YOU ARE ALL A WASTE OF SPACE, A DISGRACE TO YOUR SPECIES!!

God in heaven, hear our prayers, help us to act. Help us to be strong for these little creatures who have no voice, no rights.

Friday July 17, 2009, 1:26 pm
Where is ANYONE? This is very sickening...everyone is betraying but one lone guy, it seems. Why is it that those with little to no money, busting their rear ends, ALWAYS seem to be more passionate and more willing to help but cannot do so because of lack of money? Is money causing the big organizations to become corrupt? I am sad...noting this with utter pain and sorrow.

Saturday July 18, 2009, 9:57 am
In the process of producing the "Seals of Namibia" radio program, I've had several written and verbal conversations with Francois Hugo. Communications with Seal Alert SA are ongoing in support of the seals. We have received many emails and enquiries about Seal Alert's efforts. We cannot answer questions but we issued a statement of support for the seals along with ongoing media support which is available through WFLF's various websites and blogs.

As a humanitarian, animal advocate and activist I've pledged to place priority on the needs of animals in peril, with a specific focus on those that suffer due to inhumane activities. In response to recent emails and comments received after the clubbing of Namibia seals began, I was compelled to issue this statement:

Let's not turn efforts away from helping animals because one controversial campaign failed to spark a showing of public support by the largest organizations. Animals from around the world need the voice of people that care to speak out for them or they have no chance what so ever. Please continue to support the organizations that align with your interests and allow other organizations to focus on all the other animal campaigns.

The bottom line in animal protection is that apathy supports animal cruelty by giving power to the abusers. The fight to end animal cruelty must go on and activists are urged to stand strong for the animals.

My statement of support for Francois Hugo's efforts is available at http://endangeredactivist.blogspot.com/
Our coverage on this issue is available at http://www.wflendangeredstreamlive.org/namibianseals.html

Energy spent toward the division of animal activists further empowers animal abusers; more innocent animals will suffer and die. People like Hatem Yavuz that engage in vile acts of animal cruelty are able to additionally celebrate when the defeat of animal protection campaigns causes activists to turn on against one another.

Let's be strong for the animals!

Tuesday July 21, 2009, 6:59 am
Katia, wonderful, upbuilding advice, ty.
ty for the update, Paolo, it is always so distressing, so disheartening, to see animals brutally slaughtered, and the world seems to just walk by. people are so conditioned to view animals as unfeeling, even in this year of 2009, so many just don't get it, they do feel the pain, and the murder of them is wrong on every level.
keep alerting friends and family, the more people we reach, the sooner we can end this particular slaughter of seals.
:...(