Seal Season approaching

[Magnum]

We've all seen the pictures -- adorable dark eyes staring out at us benevolently from pillowy white fur. But cruelty season is fast-approaching in Canada.
Sign the petition: http://www.care2.com/go/z/21460

In a month's time, hunters armed with clubs and rifles will bludgeon and shoot to death hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals out on the ice floes of Eastern Canada. Shockingly, at least 95% of the seals killed will be less than three months old and more than 40% may be skinned alive.

Canada's seal hunt is the largest deliberate slaughter of marine mammals in the world. The government has set a legal quota of up to 319,500 seals this year. The seal pelts are served up to the fashion industry, with additional profits from meat, oil, and the sale of genitalia to Asian markets. But the killing of baby seals doesn't make sense economically or ecologically, nor is it sustainable.

The Canadian government wants the media and public to believe that no one cares about the innocent blood spilled each year. That's why we must create a public outcry!

Tell the Canadian Parliament that you DO CARE about the cruelty inflicted upon these seals and that the hunt is indefensible!

Sign the petition: http://www.care2.com/go/z/21460

Cross-post: Care2

[dlaura]

OK Magnum -- I added my name to the petition.

[kwitty]

I got that e-mail too today. I signed it.

[Sasami]

I signed it. It's so horrible...I remember watching stuff about it on Animal Planet.

[John Olexa]

I can't imagine anyone with even half a heart, being able to do something like this!

[Amanda]

Petition signed and emailed to everyone in my address book.

[krazy4birds]

My name is on there now too Georgia, just reading that stuff made me queasy......UGH

[Suzy03]

ok, Magnum. Signed the petition and a few other ones. Geez hope it helps to stop the torture and killing of the sweet seal.

[Magnum]

International Day of Action Against the Canadian Seal Hunt (http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/protect_seals/international_day_of_action/) click to view

Will be held March 15th, 2005 in protest to the slaughter of seals in Canada.

What seals are targeted by Canada's seal hunt?

Harp and, to a much lesser degree, hooded seals who have molted their white fur, which generally happens at two weeks. Hunters call seals this age "beaters." Hunters do kill adult seals, but reports from the Canadian government show that the vast majority of seals killed are 12 days to 12 months old. In the 2002–2003 hunt, 96.6% were between 12 days and 12 weeks old.

Where are the seals killed?

The waters east of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Who kills seals?

Anyone with a commercial sealing license or a Provincial hunting license or hunting capability certificate. In 2001, the government issued 11,185 commercial sealing licenses.

How are the seals killed?

Earlier in the season, hunters use a club or a large ice-pick-like hakapik to kill the younger seals. In later months, hunters switch to rifles for both young and old seals.

In 2001, a report by an independent team of veterinarians who were invited by the International Fund for Animal Welfare to observe the hunt concluded that governmental regulations regarding humane killing were neither being respected nor enforced, and that the seal hunt failed to comply with Canada's basic animal welfare regulations. The veterinarians found a disturbing number of seals (as many as 40%) probably were skinned while alive and conscious.

How many seals are killed each year?

Hundreds of thousands. In 2003, the number reported was 286,238. The year before, the Canadian government allowed the most massive slaughter of marine mammals on its shores since the 1960s: more than 307,000 harp seals. Furthermore, this number—which exceeded the Canadian Department of Fisheries' quota by more than 32,000—only represents the number of seals reported killed. Other seals were severely wounded and died later.

In 2003, the Canadian government announced a new quota. It will allow sealers to kill 975,000 harp seals over the next three years.

Are there any penalties when hunters exceed the government's quota?

No. When the quota is exceeded, the government raises it.

What products are made from seals?

The seals are killed for their pelts, their genitals (which are used to make aphrodisiacs in Asian markets), oil (which Canada promotes as a health supplement), and meat.

Isn't the seal hunt a part of the indigenous culture of the region?

At this point, the hunt has become just another commercial hunt. Rather than killing seals for subsistence, sealers generally kill them to sell their fur and flesh.

Does the government subsidize the hunt?

According to reports from the Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment, more than $20 million in subsidies were provided to the sealing industry between 1995 and 2001. Those subsidies came from entities such as the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Human Resources Development Council, and Canada Economic Development-Quebec. These subsidies take a variety of forms, including funding the salaries for seal processing plant workers, market research and development trips, and capital acquisitions for processing plants.

Is it true that seals are jeopardizing the Canadian cod industry?

Although the Canadian government and fishing industry claim that seals in the North Atlantic must be culled because they eat too many cod, they don't back up this claim with good science. In fact, in 1994, two of the government's own scientists reported that the true cause of the depletion of cod in the North Atlantic was over-fishing. Ecosystems are complex—in fact, seals also eat cod predators (other fish), so removing seals might even worsen the cod stock's condition.

It's more convenient for the government and the fishing industry to scapegoat seals than it is for them to address the serious problem of over-fishing. It also provides an excuse for the government's controversial support of a massive seal hunt.

[Magnum]

I wanted to revive this thread just in case ANYONE has missed it. Any form of support is greatly needed for the thousands of seals destined to be bludgeoned to death or skinned alive on March 15th....5 days from now. :(

[riana]

Petition signed. I just hope they can put a stop to this!!!!

[Magnum]

1 Day...34 minutes left

[MsLaLa]

Magnum -

Thanks for the petition .... I already signed it months ago ... I am a member of the ASPCA, IFAW, and the HSUS .... and I really hope these poor seals' suffering ends soon!!!

:mad:

[MsLaLa]

I just wanted to share my desktop wallpaper with you all -

How sweet is this baby? How could anyone hurt them? :(

[Magnum]

OMGosh MsLaLa, that is sooooo precious!! How could any human being bring themselves to do what they do to these babies. :(

[MsLaLa]

I dont know Magnum - and it is beyond upsetting!

Glad you liked the pic though! :D

[Magnum]

Over 2400 have been clubbed to death so far!!! :mad:

Canadian Seafood to Avoid:

The following is a list of seafood that the United States
typically imports from Canada. Because the United States
also produces some of these species, or imports them from
other countries, it’s important to check the label or ask
your server, grocer, or fishmonger where the seafood
comes from.

Lobster
Snow Crabs
Cod
Mackerel
Scallops Shrimp
Haddock
Oysters
Herring
Perch
Mussels
Sole
Yellow Perch
Sardines
Flounder
Trout
Tuna
Whitefish
Swordfish

Spread the Word About Boycotting Canadian Seafood.

• Tell your server, grocer, or fishmonger WHY you’re
boycotting Canadian seafood. Urge them to join in.

• Copy this and give it to your friends.

• Send them to www.ProtectSeals.org for more
information on how to stop the seal hunt today.

[Amanda]

I saw this news article and this just makes me so sick! I wish there's something more we could do for the seals! http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1112374928537_107784128/?hub=TopStories (http://)

[Magnum]

Here the Sealers are armed with discusting weapons (gafs, spiked clubs) used to bludgeon baby seals to death, and the Sealer claims he was only defending himself? :rolleyes: What, from a violent, camera toting IFAW member?

Thanks Amanda for posting this article. All we can do from here is sign petitions, write our reps, and donate towards organizations that are trying to get this stopped.. :(