Sea Shepherd in the Galapagos
Since 2000, Sea Shepherd has maintained a strong, positive presence in the Galapagos Islands. From patroling the Marine Reserve stopping illegal fishing activities, to busting shark finners, to educating the local youth, Sea Shepherd carries out its mission of promoting ocean conservation using a wide range of methods and actions.The Galapagos is our line in the sand. If humanity cannot protect such a unique and diverse ecosystem, we will not be able to protect any ecosystem. The Galapagos is a challenge and battlefield for the effort to halt human greed and destruction. These Enchanted Isles are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and this means all of us have a responsibility to help protect them from illegal exploitation.
| Namibian seal hunt to go on, 90,000 to be clubbed |
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| Tuesday, 07 July 2009 06:09 | |||
The hunt was expected to begin last week, but there was confusion over whether the killings had begun after numerous media reports that a South African-based animal rights activist was in negotiations to halt them. Namibia is one of only a few remaining countries with a commercial seal harvest. The government argues that the seal population needs to be controlled to protect fish stocks. However, animal rights activists say the practice is inhumane and outdated. Seals are hunted for skins, fur and meat, and seal genitals are sold as traditional medicines and aphrodisiacs in Asia. Activist Francois Hugo of Seal Alert South Africa said last week that he had made a bid to buy out the company that purchases the Namibian seal pelts, effectively halting the hunt. Hugo said that clubbing an animal to death is cruel, criminal and in defiance of international animal protection laws. He also challenged the Namibian government's claim that the hunt maintained healthy seal populations, saying that in the past whole colonies had been devastated. Namibia's seals number about 850,000 and live on a dozen remote, rocky islands off the coast of the sparsely populated southern African country. The hunt takes place under clandestine circumstances to avoid the glare of publicity — and to avoid upsetting tourists. (From google.com, Namibia) 
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Namibia's annual commercial seal hunt will go on despite objections by animal welfare groups, a government official said Monday. Frans Tsheehama of the Namibian fisheries and marine resources ministry said that the season started on July 1 and will run until Nov. 15. Hunters are expected to club over 90,000 seals, including 85,000 pups.
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