SWAKOPMUND – Residents of Henties Bay are demanding answers after trucks carrying decomposed seal carcasses were seen dumping and burying the seals at the town over the weekend.

Fears are that the dead seals will not only contaminate underground water at the town, but that it could also result in a health risk.

Public outrage intensified after videos showing dead seals being offloaded just outside the town of Henties Bay began circulating on social media. The footage has fueled concerns about environmental safety, especially with the country experiencing rabies outbreaks
among seals along the coastline.

It is alleged that the seals were harvested but later spoiled and had to be discarded. New Era understands that a team has since been dispatched to Henties Bay to investigate the origin of the seals and the circumstances surrounding their disposal.

Sources within the community told New Era that the seals were allegedly harvested by Vigor Biotech, a company currently constructing a seal value-addition facility in Henties Bay. 

The factory is owned by Chinese businessman Charlie Xie on a piece of land acquired from the Henties Bay municipality. The company does not yet have an operational factory, however Albertus Diedericks, general manager of the company, earlier this year said they are going to harvest seals and produce raw oil as well as fish feed from the waste product.  

Diedericks in April indicated that the factory would process about 400 seals per day once fully-operational. 

He confirmed that the seals belonged to the company and were meant to be skinned in Arandis. 

He told New Era that the logistics company that was hired to transport of the seals allegedly did not fit gensets on the freezer trucks.

“As a result, the carcasses went off and the trucks were turned away because of the smell. The seals were then taken back to Henties Bay,” he said.

He maintained that the carcasses were discarded in accordance with municipal guidelines and said a health and safety officer from the Henties Bay municipality was present at the disposal site.

He also expressed concern over videos circulating on social media, saying the footage will have a devastating impact on the seal industry as well as the fishing industry overall.

“We will trace the origin of the videos as there was supposed to be someone overseeing the process,” he told New Era shortly after a meeting with the fisheries ministry on the issue.

Henties Bay environmental officer Jeremia Geiseb also said that the seals were discarded according to the municipal by-laws.

“The seals were destroyed in line with ministry regulations. There is no incinerator here in Henties Bay, so burial was used as the disposal method,” he said.

He added that the municipality is aware of community concerns, particularly regarding rabies and reports of dying seals along the coastline.

Questions sent to the fisheries ministry yesterday are yet to be answered.

Seal culling remains a highly sensitive and controversial issue, often attracting international scrutiny and pressure from animal welfare and environmental groups. 

Critics say the video circulating on social media shows dead seal carcasses being handled in a manner that risks exposing Namibia to renewed international criticism, particularly at a time when the country’s wildlife management practices are closely watched by the global community.

– edeklerk@nepc.com.na