Bont voor Dieren against the seal hunt in Namibia

Up to 86,000 Cape fur seals in Namibia are set to be killed for their fur each year between July and December. The defenceless animals are herded together in the early morning on the beach and then brutally clubbed to death. The The bloody evidence of this hunt is quickly removed before the tourists arrive at the beaches. No reminders of these horrors, only moments earlier, are left behind. Bont voor Dieren fights against these horrific practices and urges everyone to sign the petition to the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries. Please join us to help!

The petition calls for an immediate end to the hunt. All petitions are automatically forwarded to Bernhardt Esau, the Namibian Minister of Fisheries. Bont voor Dieren wants the minister to act upon the petition and to cancel the licence both for killing the animals and for exporting their fur. Although more than 35 countries already banned the import, the fur of the animals is still valued in countries like China and Russia.

Unfamiliar hunt

While the Canadian seal hunt is infamous, very little is known about the hunt in Namibia. Images of white seal pups in the midst of bloodied ice are universal knowledge, but the hunt in Namibia is even larger. Bont voor Dieren director Natalie Wanga: “Fur is a senseless luxury product, irrefutably linked to animal suffering. The Cape fur seals in Namibia are killed in a horrific way. This must stop. Various studies have shown that the hunt not only disrupts the ecosystem, but Namibia also benefits up to 300% more from seal watching tourism than from the seal hunt.”

Bont voor Dieren launched their campaign against the Namibian seal hunt through a stunt by letting a fake seal swim through the canals of Amsterdam. Referring to a recent headline news of a real seal detected in the same canals. The slogan of the stunt was: ‘Fled from the seal hunt in Namibia and safe here’. The animal protection organisation also held two Silent Protests on busy city squares. Team members and volunteers held protest signs and remained silent for an hour and a half. Other team members of Bont voor Dieren spoke with bystanders and asked them to sign the petition. To top it all off, the organisation has received support from various Dutch celebrities who, through a striking video, have spoken out against the hunt.