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Wednesday, August 15, 2007 - Web posted at 8:04:05 GMT Seals become trophies BRIGITTE WEIDLICHSEALS living along the Namibian coast are being internationally advertised to trophy hunters, although they are listed as an endangered species under an international convention. |
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Seals are also not on the official list of huntable game species in Namibia. A local hunting operator, Kataneno Hunt, is offering hunting trips to shoot Cape Fur Seal bulls. On the Internet the proprietor of Kataneno Hunt, Heiko Binding, says that "hunting for Cape Fur Seal bulls at the coast not far from Swakopmund can be arranged, ideally with a fishing trip and/or a touristic (sic) trip from September 15 to November 15 only". The seal hunt is offered for 860 euros (about N$8 600) plus travel expenses and a lunch pack. It costs 300 euros (about N$3 000) extra per day for a local professional hunter to accompany the tourist. Accommodation is an additional expense. The website is in German, French and English and two photos illustrate the seal hunt. One photo shows a hunter clad in camouflage gear lying behind a rock on the beach waiting for a seal bull, with a hunting guide next to him and a second photo where a shot bull is being examined. Kataneno Hunt is a registered member of the Namibian Professional Hunters Association (Napha), which has a list of 41 huntable species on its official website, but seals are excluded. The mission statement of Napha says: "Our intent is to ensure and promote ethical conduct, sustainable utilisation of natural resources, and to secure the industry for current and future generations." Napha further "insists that its members provide the highest standard of professional service to international hunting guests. They are expected to hunt strictly in accordance with the ethical principles as stipulated in Napha's Hunting Code. The Hunting Professional (HP) is at all times encouraged to act responsibly towards nature, wildlife and the local population," according to the mission statement. As far as The Namibian could establish, no seal hunting concessions have been issued to any trophy-hunting company. An expert in the tourism and trophy-hunting industry who was contacted yesterday said he was "highly shocked and totally unaware of any seal hunting offered to tourists". According to the South African-based organisation Seal Alert, which discovered the seal trophy hunting and brought it to the attention of The Namibian yesterday, it was "shocking and harming Namibia's tourism sector internationally." Francois Hugo, who runs Seal Alert, said Namibia advertised the Cape Cross seal colony as the largest in southern Africa for sightseeing tourists in glossy brochures. "Now they are also hunted, but it is not a proper hunt, the seals are very tame along the Namibian coast and are often sleeping on the beach. Is that trophy hunting, never mind ethical hunting principles?" Hugo was in Windhoek at the end of last week to give a presentation on how seal culling could be stopped in Namibia, which was attended by over 30 marine experts and scientists and officials from the Ministries of Fisheries and Environment and Tourism. * Last month, the South African Sunday newspaper Rapport alleged that another business, Cape Cross Lodge, was organising seal-hunt expeditions. In that case, the manager of Cape Cross Lodge, Leon Swanepoel, said the story was "wrong" and the the information "twisted". |
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