Two men have been convicted and sentenced for the unlawful feeding and exploitation of Cape fur seals at Hout Bay Harbour.
The Wynberg Magistrate’s Court sentenced 40-year-old Bruce Tillings and 22-year-old Tristan Johnson to a fine of R80 000 or 24 months’ imprisonment. However, the sentence is suspended for five years on condition that they are not convicted of a similar offence during this period.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA indicates that the pair were arrested as the group, alongside the City’s Law Enforcement Animal Control Unit and the Department of Fisheries and the Environment, conducted coordinated operations, cracking down on the unlawful feeding of seals in order to attract the animals closer to tourists for financial gain.
The group says this dangerous practice has resulted in members of the public being bitten by seals at the harbour.
Former Chief Inspector of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, Jaco Pieterse, and a candidate attorney who assisted the State, says this conviction sends a clear message that the exploitation of wildlife for entertainment and profit will not be tolerated. He says feeding seals may appear harmless to some, but the reality is that it creates dangerous, aggressive animals, places the public at risk, and undermines conservation efforts.
Pieterse warned that those who continue to break the law can expect to face arrest, prosecution, and criminal consequences.
