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Seal Pups and Parents, Cape Cross Namibia |
Cape Cross
The desert that extends from the Namibian interior is a formidable
place. Parched and inhospitable, the seemingly endless desert is
the antithesis of Eden. Yet at the perimeter of this vast wasteland
lies the Atlantic Ocean. And on the boundary between the two lies
a small spit of land by the name of Cape Cross.
When you arrive at Cape Cross, for kilometers in every direction, it is difficult to find even a single strand of grass. But on the
rocky shores of the sea, flung from the foamy breakers, lie a seething
mass of life. Cape Cross is home to over 60,000 Cape Fur Seals.
The seals live on a small peninsula, every centimeter of which seems
inhabited by a stinking, barking, obdurate sea lion. The sheer number
of seals is staggering. The beach is an undulating carpet of fur, the cacophony deafening.
There is a small reserve that allows visitors to come within a
meter of the nearest seals. A low wall, less than a meter high, separates the visitors from the seals. In November, the seals give
birth, and thousands of infants litter the beach. The mental image
conjured up by the thought of thousands of cute seals, all with
babies, lounging on a beach only meters from you, is romantic, even
irresistible. But beware.
Cape Cross is a blueprint for natural selection and it is not
pretty. In November, thousands of babies are born. And amongst this
throng of infants, a mother seal will only nurse her own young.
And the males? They don't seem to notice the existence of the pups.
The result is a gut-wrenching display of nature's brutal worst.
When you exit your vehicle during calving season, ready to see
fluffy pups wriggling in all of their infinite cuteness, you are
pummeled with the horrific stench of rotting flesh intermingled
with the aroma of seal droppings. The immediate reaction will be
to wretch, and if you can control it, the urge will linger until
you leave, and possibly well afterwards. The viewing area is a patch
of sand, about 50 meters square, which is separated from the beach
by a low wall. As you approach the wall the stench intensifies, the bellows of the seals grow louder. When you kneel at the wall
in horror, you look out at 60,000 seals, all of whom are ignorant
of the human feeling of compassion.
Most people are only able to linger at Cape Cross for less than
an hour. They arrive expecting cute cuddliness. They leave having
witnessed the ultimate in brutality and the most profound miracle
on earth, the dawning of a new life. The feelings churn within, unable to reconcile themselves.
 You
arrive at the wall to a pile of corpses. They litter the beach, forgotten by their mothers. Jackals scurried amongst the dead, scavenging
a meal. Pups bleated, abandoned, separated from their mothers, looking
for a teat to suckle. Huge bulls strutted, wallowing on clumsy flippers, defending their territory. An intransigent bull would feign a charge, and his rival would bellow in fury, trampling pups to death, as
his blubberous girth raged into battle. Pups, only minutes old, tried to suckle a female. She grabbed the orphan in her teeth, flinging
him through the air to founder abandoned on the rocky shore.
But only two meters away from you a tawny female bellows, her
head lifted to the heavens, and as blood squirts from beneath her
a pup tumbles onto the beach. He looks up and you are the first
thing he sees. It is a pricelessly rare experience, one afforded
a person only a precious few times in life, if ever. And this is
why we recommend Cape Cross. To see nature in its uncensored brutality, as Darwin envisioned it. But to temper it with the glorious miracle
of birth.
Practical Information:
Cape Cross lies approximately 100 kilometers north of Swakopmund.
The road is paved, well marked, and the turn off posted.
Cape Cross is an easy day trip from Swakopmund. Take the road north
from Swakopmund to Henties Bay. Continue north from mile 72 for
about another 20. If you hit mile 108 you have gone too far. The
turnoff is well posted. If you do not have a vehicle, inquire at
your hostel about a tour to the site. Alternatively, ask fellow
guests. It is often possible to hitch a ride to the site. Also, be confident that once you reach Cape Cross you will be able to
hitch a ride back from fellow tourists, assuming you are an individual, in a very small group, or willing to split up.
There is no accommodation at Cape Cross. You should be able to
camp for free along the beach, just choose a site well away from
the road where you will not be seen by passing motorists.
There is a visitor's center at the site. They provide public restrooms
and a simple snack bar. Park fees are minimal and should be less
than $4.
Note: The stench of Cape Cross during pupping season is nearly
unbearable. People with long hair will notice that the odor permeates
their hair and will stink until washed. Everyone will notice that
their clothing will have absorbed the stench and a change of clothes
may very well be necessary. |
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