Namibia made international news this week, or at least got into a bit of an international incident, when two journalists trespassed during a fur seal cull on the coast. Namibia is one of 5 countries (Canada is the largest harvester) to harvest fur seals. The populations along the coast are large (the photo at right was taken at one of the large colonies--200,000--at Cape Cross earlier this year). An annual cull is conducted to manage the populations.
Although one doesn't need to read far in this blog to find that I support hunting as a management tool, it sounds like the process in Namibia needs to be refined if it is to continue sustainably. The cull is conducted with clubs. The cullers are supposed to stun the animals and then use a knife to kill them, but according to the Namibian newspaper, there is some evidence that the knife rarely gets used.
My colleagues at Polytechnic inform me that the Namibia Environment and Wildlife Society has tried to observe and make recommendations for the cull during the past 10 years, and they have been prevented from doing so. The cull is conducted by a company hired by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Namibia. As with any public agency, anywhere in the world, one would suspect that the process will have to adhere to ethical standards, or Namibia risks losing an industry of seal products. It doesn't sound like that much would be required to bring the cull into line with ethical standards, and one wonders why the cullers don't recognize that their own job security depends on staying in line.
Sealskin boots are very common in Namibia, and Tristan and I both own a pair. They are really soft and comfortable. Isn't life complicated?
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