Staff Reporter
THE Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Namibia (SPCA) has strongly criticized the annual seal harvest, stating that it violates the Animals Protection Act No. 71 of 1962. The SPCA claims that seals subjected to culling endure extreme torture, being struck on the head until they succumb to their injuries.
This statement comes in response to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Namibia issuing a quota for the slaughter of 86,000 Cape fur seals, comprising 80,000 pups and 6,000 bulls.
Namibia is the only country in the world that permits the commercial harvesting of fur seals, with pups killed for their fur and oil before they are weaned, and adult males killed for their genitalia mistakenly believed to possess aphrodisiac properties in certain countries.
Hanna Rhodin, National Director of the SPCA, noted that claims of seal population reduction due to competition with commercial fisheries lack supporting scientific evidence. She further highlighted the inhumane methods employed during the harvest, including separating pups from their mothers and herding them into groups for lethal blows to the head with heavy sticks, while male seals are shot.
Rhodin clarified that the SPCA does not oppose the sustainable utilization of natural resources as stipulated in Article 95(l) of the Namibian Constitution, as long as it is carried out without cruelty to the animals involved. However, she emphasized the challenges of accurately hitting moving animals, leading to severe injuries and prolonged suffering before death.
Additionally, Rhodin argued that separating pups from their mothers and herding them causes distress, and humane alternatives do not seem to be available.
“The SPCA firmly believes that the annual seal harvest violates the Animals Protection Act No. 71 of 1962 (APA). Sealing activities inflict considerable disturbance, fear, and distress on animals. Published studies (e.g., Kirkman & Lavigne 2010) conclude that implementing best practices for humane slaughter in large-scale seal hunting operations remains doubtful. Therefore, the SPCA does not support the current practices of utilizing and slaughtering Cape Fur Seals in any way,” Rhodin concluded.
