Stop Slaughtering of Seals in Namibia
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Dear South African and Namibian Officials:
I am so sickened by the images of the slaughter of baby Cape Fur seals. Mother's milk gushes from knife wounds in the flesh of still nursing babies. Dying pups collapse in white puddles as seal cows grieve the loss of their clubbed and stabbed young. I join citizens around the world to respectfully demand a position statement on seal clubbing in Namibia. Seals are the only protected marine species still destroyed in Namibia. If De Beers adheres to "preservation of the environment as a high priority", as stated on Namdeb's website, how can it ignore this profoundly inhumane massacre?
Since Namibia's independence in 1990, the Cape fur seals in Namibia have experienced mass die-offs from starvation and or disease in 1994, 1995, 2000 and 2001, and in 2006 have still not recovered. It is therefore on this basis that the harvest of seals is no longer being conducted on a sustainable basis under your Constitution and I am therefore calling for an immediate end to the Seal "Harvest" in Namibia as it is now in direct conflict with the Constitution in South Africa!
I understand Namibia's current massacre of 80,000 baby seals and 7,000 bulls targets the Cape Cross Seal colony in the northern nature reserve and a second colony located in the southern sperrgebiet diamond-restricted region of Namibia. I call upon De Beers to publicly condemn the world's second largest seal kill, which until 1990 involved seals in South Africa killed within the diamond-restricted zone under your jurisdiction. Since 1990, at least 50% of the same seal colony, now in Namibia, is slaughtered within a De Beers diamond-restricted area.
In 1972, the United States enforced a ban under the Marine Mammal Protection Act that forbids the slaughter of nursing pups. South Africa was the only nation to contest this ban. But a 1977 U.S. Appeal Court ruling upheld an embargo on Cape Fur seal imports. South Africa finally terminated sealing in 1990. I implore officials to stop the continuing slaughter of this seal population. Just as South Africa halted its seal harvest in 1990, Namibia ought to do the same. This population has already endured massive depletion due to starvation.
Cape fur seals have a distribution range covering Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia and Angola. Seals are currently protected under the United Nations of CITES as an Appendix II species. In South Africa under the Seabirds and Seals Protection Act No.46 of 1973. The findings of the Public Protector of South Africa in his report No. 51 released 15th November 2005 states, "The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has a constitutional obligation to protect and promote the conservation of South Africa's seal resource". The Namibian 2006 seal pup production is according to Minister Iyambo is 27% below pre-1993 population levels and this year's TAC (Total Allowable Catch) pup quota is 68% higher than 1994 quota.
Non-sailable females are often spared while larger male pups are killed. This man-made rise in breeding females has become an excuse to cull even more seals to manage a population surge that humans accelerate through sealing. It is a vicious cycle, but ruthless slaughter is not the answer. As a potential tourist, I am unlikely to visit Namibia until the annual slaughter of Cape Fur seals ends. I will advise family, friends and colleagues to do the same.
Thank you for considering the international opinion in this serious matter. I look forward to your reply.
Yours sincerely,
_______________________________________________________________
Datum: Fri, 6 Oct 2006 03:54:22 -0700 (PDT)
Von: Nikki misterina@yahoo.com
RE: Stop Slaughter Nursing Seal Pups In Namibia !
Dear xx
It is WONDERFUL that you care enough to take time outto send out an email condemning the Namibian seal harvest. The seals truly, truly need all the support they can get.
We have approached De Beers to ask them for help and I have to admit, they have been very supportive. They have accommodated us in sending out a public letter of condemnation, and they have been incredibly approachable when we wanted to open dialogue on possible joint efforts. The sad thing is that there is a common misconception about what De Beers can or cannot do, and what they have or have not done. What you must remember is that De Beers also has an interest in getting the harvest stopped as the whole issue is bad PR for them (by association). Efforts on their part in approaching the powers that be in Namibia to discuss a resolution to this tragedy, was met with complete and utter non-cooperation. They have tried, we have tried and various other organisations and private individuals have tried. Maybe this gives you an illustration as to the magnitude of the fight we and the seals are facing. If a corporation like De Beers cannot even sway the Namibian authorities, then you must know!
We are currently working on trying to get the Cape Fur seal included on a product ban that was recently adopted by the EU parliament. Once again, De Beers did not hesitate when we called for their support. They were one of the first people, along side Seal Alert to send a letter to Caroline Lucas, the person who did the ban proposal to ask her to please include the Cape Fur seal, and not just to have the ban on harp and hooded seal products. The EU is the biggest importer of Cape Fur/Namibian seal products and if we can get the EU parliament to afford them the same protection as they did for their Canadian and Russian cousins, that would go a LONG way. Unfortunately, so far we have only been met by empty promises.
If you really do want to help, please ask your EU representative to take up the issue with the EU parliament. PLEASE PLEASE take note that here some caution needs to be exercised because if the cage is rattled too much, the whole ban might be derailed and the ban on all products may be dropped. I would suggest if you do go this route, to ask your EU representative(s) what it is that you and the general public can do to help. Other than that, spread the word about this massacre. Africa is very often the forgotten stepchild that the first world does not want to talk about.
Once again, thank you for your concern. You have no idea how much it is appreciated.
Always,
Nikki
Rory.MoreOFerrall(at)debeersgroup.com; wrote: Dear xx, Thank you for your email regarding the current cull of seals in Namibia. I have been in correspondence with Nikki Botha of Seal Alert in Cape Town, to whom I refer you. For information, I attach a copy of a message I sent - at Seal Alert's request - to the Green Party MEP Caroline Lukas on this subject. This will inform you of De Beers' position on this matter. With regards, Rory More O'Ferrall
Director External Affairs
De Beers Group
17 Charterhouse Street
London EC1N 6RA
Tel: + 44 (0) 207 430 3126
Fax: + 44 (0) 207 831 0663
www.debeersgroup.com
