- The Cape of Good Hope SPCA took legal action to obtain a court order from the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court for the rescue and removal of five seals subject to abuse and exploitation at Hout Bay Harbour.
- The seals were relocated to an undisclosed location, 900 km away, for their own protection in the hopes that they would not be able to find their way back to the harbour.
- Hout Bay residents voiced concerns about a suspected increase in dead seals beached on the coast.
As the summer draws tourists back to South Africa to bask in its various delights associated with the festive season, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA wishes to send a strong message out advocating for responsible tourism. and especially dangerous interactions with seals that end up with them getting harmed, especially in Hout Bay.
The SPCA took legal action to obtain a court order from the Wynberg Magistrates’ Court for the rescue and removal of five seals subject to abuse and exploitation at Hout Bay Harbour from harm on Wednesday 8 November. This led to an expedient rescue mission over the past weekend (11-12 November), during which the seals were relocated to an undisclosed location, 900 km away, for their own protection in the hopes that they would not be able to find their way back to the harbour.
“We hope this will afford them the opportunity to live in an environment free of coercion and abuse,” said the organisation’s spokesperson Belinda Abraham, “one where they can freely express their natural behaviours. We went the distance for them quite literally, but it was worth it.”
She further detailed the various illegal activities and treatments the seals had endured, including beatings, overfeeding and being forced to engage in various physical interactions with humans — all driven by human the need for entertainment and financial gain.
Such behaviour is illegal under the Threatened or Protected Marine Species Regulations 2017 and the City of Cape Town Coastal Marine Bylaw, Abraham pointed out, and despite interventions (including the arrest of perpetrators and the issuing of fines) by the authorities, including the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the City’s Law Enforcement and the SPCA, the activities have continued.
“This is simply because of the financial reward paid to the seal ‘handlers’ who charge tourists for the opportunity to feed or engage with them and take photographs of their experience.”
The Hout Bay Seal Rescue’s (HBSR) operational director, Kim Krynauw, chimed in saying her position on the situation had not changed for four years: “There should be stronger law enforcement in all the harbours by enforcing the law and arresting the feeders, and fining the tourists who are enabling this practice. You need to remove the cause, otherwise they will just continue to entice and feed other seals.”
Krynauw suggested the Department of Tourism ensure such practice does not occur and all tourists be made aware such practices are illegal and cruel.
“HBSR does not support the habitation and feeding of any seal,” she said. “We do, however, support a community-based programme that we suggested three years ago, which would focus on working with the communities, creating awareness of the harmful effects of this practice on the animals and engaging with these feeders; and perhaps creating opportunities for them to become ambassadors for seals and assisting with training to educate the public and tourists about our exquisite Cape fur seal.”
This would include creating awareness of all kinds of animal abuse in these communities, starting with children.
Save Seals! Skip the Selfies!
Aside from being illegal, Abraham continued, these actions are also morally reprehensible, “because ultimately wild animals pay the price for human interactions. Aside from the cruel training methods that are being practised, the seals are unable to express their natural behaviours and are being grossly overfed.”
She reported that two seals are obese, “a condition that has resulted from their training, their inability to express their natural behaviour (including swimming and hunting for their own food) as well as being continuously fed by individuals who wish to pose for selfies or interact with a wild animal.”
In addition to this, the seals have become unnaturally accustomed to humans. “This poses a danger to both humans and seals alike, with seals becoming reliant on humans for food and humans being placed at risk of injury when the expectation for food is not met.”
A critical intervention to save the seals
As advocates for wild animals with a strong belief that a life of captivity in a zoo or similar alternative would only allow their exploitation and suffering to continue, the five seals’ relocation was the SPCA’s only option aside from humane euthanasia. “This is something we prefer to avoid” said Abraham. “Unfortunately, if our efforts fail this will be the only remaining option, and the seals will pay unfairly with their lives for the selfish and thoughtless behaviour of humans.”
The SPCA’s Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse says: “Exploiting these wild animals for the sake of getting a good picture for your social-media platforms is not only illegal, but morally and ethically wrong. It perpetuates a cycle of abuse and cruelty. Please prioritise their welfare over how many likes and shares you can generate online.”
Beached seals on the rise in Hout Bay
While the SPCA was obtaining a court order, Hout Bay residents voiced concerns about a suspected increase in dead seals beached on the coast in a post on Hout Bay Complete Facebook group, dated Wednesday 8 November.
Krynauw confirmed this: “Yes, seals are still beaching all over the coasts, and we get calls daily informing us. Again, the major cause is starvation due to overfishing, another practice that is not being addressed, like pollution and our environment crisis.
“If we don’t address the cause and find environmental solutions all our oceans and marine life will die.”
