Email Tourism
Attention: Respected Members of the Travel and Tourism Industry
To whom it may concern,
“Like nowhere else in Africa, Namibia provides the visitor the opportunity to escape stress, experience peace and freedom, sit and admire the breathtaking landscapes and reflect. From game-packed parks to the silence and spectacle of the desert, this incredible country, its landscapes, people and wildlife are waiting.” ~ Namibia Tourism
This is typical of the propaganda travel agencies portray about Namibia, a safe haven for wildlife, attracting tourists to Namibia from all over the world. The reality, and what tourists do not realise, is that Namibia is responsible for the largest slaughter of wildlife in Africa. Approximately 80,000 Cape fur seal pups are violently beaten to death each year for their fur alone; while 6,000 bulls are shot at point blank range so that their penises can be made into ineffective sex potions in the Far East.
Much of this massacre takes place in a dedicated seal reserve – an area where one would expect these animals to be protected. The Namibian Department of Tourism has stated that “the Cape Cross Seal Reserve was established to protect the largest breeding colony of Cape fur seals in the world”. Cape Cross is a hugely popular destination for travelers coming specifically to see the seal colony. It is therefore bitterly ironic that these same seals are butchered by the thousands before the beaches are cleared of blood and reopened for paying tourists to view what remains of such a once majestic site.
Numerous travel agencies no longer promote Namibia. Ethical Traveler has dropped Namibia from its list of ethical destinations based on this annual slaughter. I commend Ethical Traveler’s stance and equally echo their call for the hunt to end.
In light of the above, and aside from other dubious "conservation practices" (which include the issuing of hunting permits for rare desert elephants) I have pledged to boycott Namibia tourism and will encourage others to do the same until this savagery is stopped. End this massacre and restore this beautiful country’s reputation as not only one of the most environmentally progressive African nations, but also as a premier ethical travel destination.
Yours sincerely,
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