[Sixstrings]

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Attackers wielding bats or clubs slaughtered two dozen fur seals, including newborn pups, over several days at one of New Zealand's most popular sanctuaries for watching the animals, officials said Monday.

Government officials condemned the attacks on the protected species as brutal and senseless and vowed to fully prosecute anyone involved.
The Department of Conservation said the bludgeoned bodies of 23 fur seals had been found at the Ohau Point colony, a rocky stretch of coastline near a highway that is a breeding ground for the animals.

Officials said eight pups - some just days old - were among those killed, and there were likely more juveniles that had died or would soon because their mothers were among those slaughtered.

(snip)

A South Island man was sentenced to four months in prison earlier this year and two accomplices were fined $3,800 and $5,400 (New Zealand dollars 5,000 and NZ$7,000) respectively for attacking a leopard seal.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20101206/D9JU838G0.html

It's 2010, why are people still clubbing seals? Is the meat valuable?

[Serial_Worrier]

They didn't take the meat, it was just murder. Probably young hooligans trying to up their alpha rank in the gangs.

[americandream]

They didn't take the meat, it was just murder. Probably young hooligans trying to up their alpha rank in the gangs.

Not too many gangs around Kaikoura. Probably fisehrmen pissed off at the competition posed by seals.

[Pretorian]

Who exactly is an invasive specie there, seals or fishermen? Btw, if you like farmed salmon they do they same thing in Chile too.

[americandream]

Who exactly is an invasive specie there, seals or fishermen? Btw, if you like farmed salmon they do they same thing in Chile too.

Who is invading whom is another question. Tasman is pretty well stocked with salmon farms.

I was merely setting the record straight on the area....small town and rural New Zealand. Not too many gangs round there but disgruntled fishermen, yes.

[yeahbut]

Who exactly is an invasive specie there, seals or fishermen?

Indeed. Sea mammal stocks are only slightly recovered from the days before humans arrived in NZ. Maori hunted leopard seals, sea lions and sea elephants to extinction on the main islands, and fur seals only remained in the lower South Island, having once been numerous around the whole country. European sealers came very close to finishing them off. Numbers are still very low.

Research has shown that the seals in the area of the attack primarily eat lantern fish, which are not sought after by fishermen, and seals would have an utterly insignificant impact on fish stocks anyway compared to 100 ton fishing boats etc etc. However if you are enough of a revolting moron to commit such an act, you are probably not capable of understanding such concepts anyway.

It is also just as likely that this was someone's idea of a fun day out. Some horrible creeps got caught a few months back tormenting a leopard seal, pelting it with rocks, dragging it by its tail, damaged one of its eyes. They were only caught because they put photos of their jolly adventure on facebook. This is the calibre of subhuman we are dealing with in these situations.

[Sixstrings]

It is also just as likely that this was someone's idea of a fun day out. Some horrible creeps got caught a few months back tormenting a leopard seal, pelting it with rocks, dragging it by its tail, damaged one of its eyes. They were only caught because they put photos of their jolly adventure on facebook. This is the calibre of subhuman we are dealing with in these situations.

So what's going on in New Zealand.. this doesn't fit with my impression of Kiwis being humane and eco-conscious and all that. Are parts of the country rural, backward and uneducated? Is it the Maori natives doing this to the seals?

This kind of thing is pretty rare in the US, a country of 360 odd million. Now and and then I've heard about some idiot shooting a protected bald eagle. The closest thing we have to seals in Florida would be manatees.. they're endangered and utterly defenseless. They can't even swim fast the way a seal can. A lot of manatees get wounded and die by accident from boats but I can't imagine anyone, even a hardened criminal, intentionally killing dozens of manatees just for the fun of it.

Incidentally, the North Pacific used to have a species of sea cow that went extinct in 1786. The last populations in Alaska were killed off by the Russians, but aboriginal hunters are mostly to blame:

Steller's Sea Cow (extinct)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steller's_Sea_Cow

[yeahbut]

So what's going on in New Zealand.. this doesn't fit with my impression of Kiwis being humane and eco-conscious and all that.

Dunno, Six...it doesn't fit with the mentality of anyone I know, but obviously there are a few real creepy people out there in NZ somewhere. As for the eco-conscious part, I fear the only reason we are so 'clean and green' is because we have such a tiny population, not because of any special environmental awareness. Our footprint is right up there for 'developed' countries, per capita.

Are parts of the country rural, backward and uneducated?

Undoubtedly.

Is it the Maori natives doing this to the seals?

Dunno about this latest incident, they haven't caught those responsible yet, but the leopard seal wasn't. Some moronic white boys from Southland did that, and I'm happy to say that one of them went to jail for it.

This kind of thing is pretty rare in the US, a country of 360 odd million. Now and and then I've heard about some idiot shooting a protected bald eagle. The closest thing we have to seals in Florida would be manatees.. they're endangered and utterly defenseless. They can't even swim fast the way a seal can. A lot of manatees get wounded and die by accident from boats but I can't imagine anyone, even a hardened criminal, intentionally killing dozens of manatees just for the fun of it.

Exactly. Some of those seals were brand new pups. I dunno if you've seen a new seal pup up close, but they may just be one of the cutest animals on the planet. And of course they are utterly defenseless too. It's one thing to kill something out of necessity, for food. But sh*t like this sickens me. I simply can't understand it.

Incidentally, the North Pacific used to have a species of sea cow that went extinct in 1786. The last populations in Alaska were killed off by the Russians, but aboriginal hunters are mostly to blame:

Steller's Sea Cow (extinct)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steller's_Sea_Cow

What a gorgeous, hilarious looking creature

We have lost so much

[americandream]

So what's going on in New Zealand.. this doesn't fit with my impression of Kiwis being humane and eco-conscious and all that. Are parts of the country rural, backward and uneducated? Is it the Maori natives doing this to the seals?

Like any country, New Zealand has it's share of sloping foreheads. Cruelty against animals is especially bad in the South Island, unfortunately. And it's largely limited to the white population. Maori's have their issues as well. Animal cruelty isn't one of them however as they have a closer, more ritualised connection with the land.

[Sixstrings]

What a gorgeous, hilarious looking creature

We have lost so much

This is what a Florida manatee looks like:



They have no fear of man. They move slow and they're utterly defenseless. It's a natural wonder that something so helpless could have survived so long.

I think all the world's sea cows are endangered. None of them are as big as the extinct Steller's sea cow:



I'm a big softie when it comes to marine mammals. As for the seals in NZ.. at least you guys take it seriously and have harsh penalties for anyone who messes with them.

[Blacksmith]

Maori hunted leopard seals, sea lions and sea elephants to extinction on the main islands, and fur seals only remained in the lower South Island, having once been numerous around the whole country.

So you Kiwis are prepared to deny your aboriginal people their ancestral rights. Another case to bring before the United Nations.