Maria Daines ~ Paul Killington

Lyrics

Thank you once again to Zest Radio show for supporting our music for animals.











This song was written to bring attention to the merciless slaughter of seals in their natural habitat and it is dedicated to all the animal welfare organisations around the world who are trying to stop this barbaric and needless cruelty.





This is not just a Canadian issue, seals are at risk all over the world, further info here -

OIPA international Organisation for animal protection, is an International Confederation of associations for the animal protection and for the defence of animal rights all over the world, Founded in 1981 by Milly Shr Manzoli, OIPA is a Non Governmental Organisation associated to the UN Department of Public Information since 1992. The Organisations purpose consists in the defence of animal rights and in the defence of the animals from every kind of mistreatment. It also follows the purpose of improving the public health through the abolishment of any kind of animal experiments throughout the world. The Organisation also works for environmental defence, where precarian ecological conditions may damage human health and animal and vegetal life in their wholeness.

The Organisation wants to contribute to a better, healthier and a more humane world, towards a medical science that is not based on violence, for a more efficient sanitarian structure, and for an ecologically clean environment.

In the Republic of South Africa, the Cape Fur Seals are consider res nullius, meaning they have no owner, and therefore, they have no animal rights protection, as they are not considered Sentient Beings. Because of antiquated laws, one-sided laws, fishermen are allowed to carry weapons and explosives on their fishing trips for fear of piracy, A euphemistic phrase to cover up the daily slaughter of innocent Seals.

The South African Seals that have been in existence for five million years are slowly disappearing, from their offshore islands, and if the slaughter is not curbed soon, there will be no Fur Seals period. Offshore islands are their natural habitat. Sealing and physical banning has already ensured that this species has become extinct on every major island off the coast of South Africa.

Present, meaning today, over 300 000 are dying from being clubbed, shot, entangled, drowned, beaten, abused or are starving to death. Daily, it is estimated over 1000 seals succumb to these multiple, mostly man induced threats, upon them. This is how the yearly death toll is made up;
- 60 000, 7-month old seal pups are clubbed to death on these mainland desert beaches, with wooden pick-axe handles, killing one in every two seal pups.

- 7000 bulls are shot simply for their penises.
- Up to 30 000 or 5000 new-born pups per concessionaire, are allowed to "squash" these babies whilst recovering shot bulls within the colony by truck.

- Since 1988, re-occurring incidents of mass starvation of seals involving over 250 000 in each incident, or 25% of the total population, has become common with the 2005/2006 pupping season expected to be the worst yet.

- Less than 20% of the seals still occur in South African waters, yet these seals are forced to compete for "prey" from 65 000 trawl nets deployed, where one trawl, can result in up to 25 seals being drowned, in what is commonly termed "incidental drowning", thousands are being drowned annually.
- In South Africa alone, 30 000 commercial fishermen put to sea daily, many, if not all are armed with fire-arms, with which thousands of seals are shot illegally. The Minister refusing to ban this illegal practice, and with no arrests to date, refuses to prosecute these criminals.
- Due to being banned to unsuitable awash rocks, during pupping time, an estimated 40 000 baby seal pups are washed off, drowning in the process. Their survival rate for the past 30-years of protection, has been close to zero, and there has been no growth.

- There is no official rescue and rehabilitation facilities. Government in policy will not fund it.

In 1973, the Apartheid government of South Africa introduced the further protection of Cape Fur Seals, with the Seabirds and Seal Protection Act (Act no.46 of 1973). In which it declared that the 11 islands and 10 rocks off the South African coastline was now protected offshore islands for these species.
Of the 11 islands and 10 rocks off the South African coastline, which equate to a total of 1000 ha of island land. 2 of these islands alone account for 85% or 850 ha. One of these islands, the largest in southern Africa, alone accounts for over 57% of the offshore protected land. These 2 islands are the only islands along 4000 km of coastline big enough to support the future of the Cape Fur Seal, both have remained extinct to seals.

One of these islands, Robben (Robbe being the Dutch word for Seal), was called the Island of Seals by the earliest explorers to our shores. Its mankind altered past involved Sealing, Whaling, Banishment of Slaves, a leper Colony, a Military Base, a Political Prison, and today it is a wildlife sanctuary and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Whilst 23 species of non-indigenous mammals have been introduced to the island over the years Seals, after having been exterminated in early 1800, have remained extinct and banned from breeding on this island. If every Seal in southern Africa were allowed to return to this important Seal Colony, they would only occupy a total of 32 ha of this 573 ha island, or just 6%.

By opening up this island once again to seals, the commercial clubbing of 60 000, 7-month old baby seals on the mainland, could finally come to an end, as pupping cows would now have an alterative place to raise their young, protected and free from sealing in Namibia. 40 000 new-born baby seals, likewise who are washed into the surrounding seas, due to being born on small inappropriate awash rocks, will have a chance at survival.

With Cape Fur Seals only currently being allowed to breed on 1% of the smallest awash offshore rocks, their future is indeed bleak. More info at -


OIPA


Yours sincerely,

Paola Ghidotti
Director of OIPA Office International Relations
OIPA (International Organization for Animal Protection)
INTERNATIONAL NEWS LETTER
April 2006


Photographs curtesy of Mary-Alice Pollard, Cornwall's Voice For Animals -


CVFA


'They Wanna Kill (Have Mercy on the Ice)


Through the ice like trawlin' kill trains
On a mission straight from hell
Blackened hearts that leak the bloodstains
Leavin' bodies broken shells
Wired for every livin' creature
Nothin' left before they leave
Gougin' eyes from heaven's features
Beauty lost in disbelief...

They wanna kill
They wanna kill
They wanna maim n' break the laws of livin' life
They wanna kill
They wanna kill
Oh Lord have mercy, have mercy on the ice

We see 'em come year in year out
We see 'em raise their weapons high
Nothin' left to cry about
A single word, a million why's???
Mother's babes all bloody battered
The cries of gentle harmless souls
Why for some they never mattered
Beats the question to the gold...

They wanna kill
They wanna kill
They wanna maim n' break the laws of livin' life
They wanna kill
They wanna kill
Oh Lord have mercy, have mercy on the ice

You wanna help don't buy their story
Show compassion raise the bar
Death will never be our glory
Love and kindness near and far
Give your hearts don't give your evil
Save the meek, the wild, the free
Hold the candle pure and simple
Their light shall burn eternally...

They wanna kill
They wanna kill
They wanna maim n' break the laws of livin' life
They wanna kill
They wanna kill
Oh Lord have mercy, have mercy on the ice


© Maria Daines/Paul Killington
All Rights Reserved
(mcps) ASCAP
13.4.06