A small yet determined and dedicated group of folks were in Cape Town, before the storm hit, to leaflet and create awareness for the plight of our seals. The Cape Fur seal, Arctocephalus Pusillus Pusillus, endemic to the waters of South Africa and Namibia is currently undergoing a mass die off. This has been confirmed by independent eye witnesses from both countries. In 2006, an estimated 300 thousand seals died of starvation in Namibia. This is the largest recorded mass die off of any marine mammal in history. With depleted fish stocks and current atmospheric conditions playing out in the Benguela, it is probable that the present die off will see more deaths than that of 2006. In a recent press release, the Namibian government attempts to allay public concerns by claiming the excessive deaths are a natural phenomenon, coinciding with the peak birthing period. The press release makes no mention of the over fishing of the Benguela Current nor the manner in which the Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources ignores scientific warnings. Since the EU and Russia have banned the import of Canadian skins, the Namibian seal “cull” has become the largest slaughter of marine mammals on earth. Namibia is also the only country in the world that allows for nursing pups to be slaughtered. It is for these reasons that the Namibian hunt is considered the most brutal of all seal hunts.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 13:50:49 +0000
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