There are many different types of seals around the world and many of them are considered endangered species. That’s why governments and organizations are trying to make sure that there are laws protecting these animals from exploitation, abuse, and killing.
However, in some countries people keep hunting seals, leading to them getting closer to extinction every year.
In Namibia, one can still find those who “harvest seals”, unlike in most countries in the world. Seal harvesting is basically seal hunting and killing with the excuse that these animals may lead some fish species to extinction because they feed on them.
From 2005 to 2015, Namibia has exported nearly 400,000 seal skins, which means it is quite a profitable business.
Of course, animal protection organizations are trying to save as many seals as possible. Local organization Ocean Conservation Namibia started working on a project called 100 Seals For Time in June last year.
According to Namib Times:
“Six dedicated activists are aiming to catch, disentangle and release one hundred seals within the thirty days the campaign will run, expose to the world the consequences of plastic pollution and work on longer term solutions to protect the Namibian marine ecosystems.”
Ocean Conservation Namibia – 100 Seals for Time Campaign
Eileen van der Schyff
Meet the team and discover how you can…
Posted by Namib Times on Saturday, April 18, 2020
Naude Dreyer and Antoine Amory are two of the activists taking part in the campaign. Naude, a diver and surfer, and Antoine, a former firefighter, are also the protagonists of the video below.
The two activists were at Pelican Point, close to Walvis Bay, in May 2020. They were on patrol, looking for entangled seals on the beach, when they came across a bunch of them and rushed to help.
In the video, we can see the seals running away from the two men, probably scared. One of the men manages to catch the first entangled seal and brings it close to him.
The animal, which is stuck in a commercial fishing line, is freaking out at that moment, probably fearing that the human is going to kill it. The man manages to immobilize it and his partner cuts off the fishing line, setting the seal free.
Unlike what most seals do when they are set free, which is to run off at high speed, this particular seal turned its head to look back at its rescuers one last time before it was off.
It was as if the animal wanted to thank the two men for letting it live.
After looking at them for a moment, the seal starts moving away- slowly at first, and then faster.
But this was not the only seal saved that day. The members of OCNA managed to catch and disentangle two more seals earlier that day.
While, at first, the seals were afraid the men were coming to them to kill them, they soon realized they only wanted to help. What a relief that must have been for the poor animals!
The video, published about a year ago, has gone viral with about 30 million views! It’s crazy how many people are interested in seal rescues- and so promising for the future of our ecosystems, too!
Most people commented on how relieved the seals must have felt when they were allowed to run off:
“Before: ‘OMG NOOO IM GONNA GET KILLED!!!’ After: ‘Bye have a great time'” someone wrote.
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Watch the two men rescuing the seals, and the pup’s reaction in the video below.
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Source: Ocean Conservation Namibia, Facebook, OCNamibia, Instagram, Wikipedia
