Turkey acts as major receiver for products of Namibia's cruel seal cull

Canada seal cull:
Earlier this year, after years of campaigning by international welfare groups and individuals, the European Union finally introduced a ban on seal products. This, added to the pre-existing ban in the United states, had a huge impact on the available market for the products of the annual cull of harp seal pups off the Eastern seaboard of Canada.

As a result, many Canadian sealers opted not to cull seals this year. We understand that the total Canadian cull amounted to some 70,000 seals, still a huge number, but way down from the government quota of over 300,000. The number of seals culled in Canada has therefore fallen to its lowest level since the mid-1990s.

There is still a long way to go before the Canadian cull is consigned to the history books where it belongs, but the European Union ban demonstrated just what can be achieved by closing the doors to markets for the products of animal cruelty. As supporters of the Canadian sealing industry search for new markets for the products of their bloody trade, so the international welfare movement moves on to try and persuade other jurisdictions to follow the US and EU example.

Namibia seal cull:
Sadly, Canada isn't the only country in the world to operate a commercial seal slaughter. With the Canadian cull shrinking this year, Namibia now becomes the country to hold the grim distinction of operating the largest cull. Each year between July and November, some 90,000 Cape fur seals (also known as South African fur seals) from two colonies are brutally clubbed, then stabbed through the heart. Much of the killing is carried out by part-time, untrained workers hired by the sealers. The vast majority of the seals culled are less than a year old; some older, larger seals are also shot.

Despite existing in large colonies, and not being listed on the IUCNs red list of threatened species, Cape fur seals are thought to be declining in numbers throughout their range in Southern and South West Africa, and the species is listed in appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES). In spite of this, Namibia, the only country that permits commercial culling of Cape fur seals, has increased the annual cull quota from around 60,000 in the year 2000, to the current level of around 90,000.

Namibia justifies the cull by claiming that the seals are depleting fish numbers and harming the fishing industry (with no reference to the damage the fishing industry itself is doing to fish stocks). It also claims the cull to be of economic importance.

The European connection:
Most of the seal skins obtained from the cull are initially shipped to Turkey under CITES permits for trading on or processing. Ironically, Turkey has been trying to join the European Union for several years, and as a member would now be subject to the EU seal products ban. However, until they achieve membership of the EU, Turkey continues to permit trade in seal skins from the Namibian cull. According to Seal Alert South Africa (http://sealatertsa.wordpress.com), all of the skins from Namibia's 2008 seal cull were purchased and sold on or processed by one company, the Hatem Yavuz company. Based in Sydney, with offices in Istanbul, Russia and South Africa, Hatem Yavuz’s own web site declares “Skins are our business” (http://www.yavuzgrup.com/index.htm).

The Namibian authorities have to date been reluctant to listen to arguments against the cull. However, the Turkish authorities may be responsive to suggestions that they should consider banning trade in seal products to bring them in line with the European Union. Animals Asia has therefore written to the Turkish authorities expressing our concerns about the cull, and the trade in seal products through Turkey. We have copied the letter to Hatem Yavuz. We encourage supporters to do the same.