Cape Town clamps down on Illegal seal exploitation. Image: iStock
Cape Town clamps down on Illegal seal exploitation
Cape Town, with DFFE and stakeholders, fights illegal seal feeding in Hout Bay harbor to protect wildlife from exploitation.
Cape Town clamps down on Illegal seal exploitation. Image: iStock
The City of Cape Town, in collaboration with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment (DFFE) and various stakeholders, is joining forces to combat the illegal and harmful practice of feeding seals for profit in Hout Bay harbour.
The City and DFFE emphasise that approaching, feeding, harassing, or disturbing seals is a criminal offense under the Threatened or Protected Marine Species Regulations and the City’s Coastal By-Law.
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Activities that could result in a spot fine of up to R3000
Public awareness is crucial, and activities like paying for seal feeding, posing for photos with seals, sitting on or touching seals, and being within 5m of a seal can result in a spot fine of up to R3000 according to the City’s Coastal By-law.
Despite a recent operation led by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the City of Cape Town to relocate five habituated seals from Hout Bay harbour to Kleinsee in the Northern Cape, illegal feeding and habituation persist.
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The challenges are evident as one seal has astonishingly swum over 700km back to Hout Bay in less than seven days, highlighting the power of habituation.
This underscores the ineffectiveness of relocation as a sustainable solution for the seals’ welfare.
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Cape Town Deputy Mayor is appealing to people to collaborate with the City and DFFE
We are appealing to members of the public, tour operators, tour guides and all our visitors to work with the City and DFFE to put an end to this abuse and cruelty that seals endure during training. We ask for responsible tourism that respects and appreciates our coastal wildlife from a safe and respectful distance, without interfering with the animals at all times,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
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