Canada seal hunt must be stopped NOW!!!!

From BBC News:



Canada seal hunt gets under way

Images from the seal hunt have caused outrage among activists

Fishermen in Canada have begun what is expected to be one of the biggest seal-hunting seasons in decades.

The hunters returned to the ice floes after the government gave the go-ahead for more than 300,000 seals to be killed this year.

Authorities say the hunt is now more humane and that the rising seal population needs to be controlled.

As in previous years, animal rights groups are campaigning against the hunt, which they say is cruel.

The activists also say Canada is trying to appease fishing communities for political reasons.

The fishermen blame the seals for the devastation of Canada's fish stocks and have pressed for a renewed culling.

The two-month hunt takes place on ice floes off the Atlantic coast, where the seals give birth.

Earlier this month, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans said in a statement that Canada's seal population was healthy and abundant.

"The harp seal herd - the most important seal herd for this industry - is estimated at around five million animals, nearly the highest level ever recorded, and almost triple what it was in the 1970s."

Boycott

Large-scale hunting will be allowed to continue until the number falls to under four million.

One official told the AFP news agency: "We have to do our job responsibly. We are looking at the middle ground, taking into account conservation and the economic needs of the region."

But anti-hunt activists, who claim many animals are skinned alive and die in agony, say they will press ahead with a boycott of Canadian seafood.

"I think that [the Canadian government] are feeling the heat... they can see the really serious implication of going ahead with the hunt this year," said Pat Ragan, of the Humane Society of the United States. "We're going to be encouraging consumers to enter into dialogue with their grocery stores and their restaurants and say, 'Please don't serve Canadian seafood', or, 'I won't buy Canadian seafood until this hunt is over'," she told Reuters news agency. The seal hunt in Newfoundland and Labrador went into decline some 25 years ago, after images of hunters clubbing infant seals horrified TV viewers across the world.

I'm absolutely horrified by all this. I cant help but feel so much impotence knowing that I cant do anything to stop these poor creatured being killed in such a horrific way. I just cant believe how evil human beings can be...wars, killing innocent people? they dont have enough of all that? why i just cant get it into my head...WHY ARE WE SO EVIL?

please spread the word and let other people know about this
http://www.protectseals.org/

 

here's another link
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/protect_seals/facts_about_the_canadian_seal_hunt.html

 

Awww that's so sad how they kill all those poor seals.

 

It looks barbaric, but the hackapik (the modified club) used to hunt these seals is the most humane way. As opposed to rifles on the "front", they are definately more accurate, and much better chance to kill on the first try. Let's put it this way. They die much quicker than most animals killed in sports hunting.

This is no more "cruel" than herding cattle, and what happens next in the slaughter house. No more "cruel" than penning chickens, snipping off their beaks and caging them one on top of another. This seems totally acceptable by the general public. The reason why? Chickens and cows are not cute!

Real people, with real families to feed benefit from this hunt. These people are not getting rich, nor are they "evil", they are regular people.

Want to read about the 2005 seal hunt? http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/infocus/2005/20050316_e.htm

 

I agree, Canada Bruno. There is alot worse things happening to animals than this. What they fail to mention in all of these articles is that the seal population is actually not "healthy and abundant." It is so high that alot of them are starving. The clubs are a very quick and effective way of humanely killing something.

Alot of what is happening, however, is illegal. When people talk about the fishermen killing pups and leaving them to bleed to death, whatnot, it is not Canada's fault that is happening, just like it isn't any other country's fault that people are being murdered everyday. It's illegal. I find it incredibly sad that the Canadian government doesn't have enough money to relocate the seals, but I sympathize that the overpopulation is becoming a real problem, not just with seals, but many other animals as well.

There are alot more cows, pigs, and chickens, and dogs being slaughtered everyday. And unlike these seals, they never live a free life. They are raised in tiny pens and fattened up their entire life. Then, alot of them are killed while alive. The old slaughter house that used to be in my city would hang the cow (while alive) then slice them down the middle until it bled out. It is also still legal to kill chickens in inhumane ways for slaughter. In Asia, lots of dogs are killed for food. They are strung up and beaten while they are alive. Then they are skinned, still alive. Then they are strangled. It is thought that beating them while they are alive helps make the meat more tender, and the adrenaline in the meat an aphrodesiac. Atleast the seals live freely and are killed quickly. I would certainly hope that anyone that buys animal products thinks about this before making any hypocritical statements. Because is it really any better?

 

Totally agree there are worse things. Cruelty in any form is wrong. I don't support those either.


Seems like the only reason behind this is human greed and buggering about with the enviroment. Good thing we're around, it's not like the universe was ticking over just fine before hand. Might not seem the best plan, but mother nature knows her stuff and everything works out in the end.

Perhaps if we didn't eat so much fish there'd be plenty for the seals and they wouldn't be starving. Of course that's silly, because hardly anyone would sacrific something good for the sake of animals.

We aren't the only creatures on the planet, we just act like it sometimes.

 

Or maybe we shouldn't have killed off all of the seals' natural predators... Just a suggestion.

 

I would argue this is not about human greed, but about making an honest living. The average annual earnings in Newfoundland is about $23,000. This hunt can represent anywhere from 25-35% of earnings. If given a choice between seals and people, I will choose people.

What is this about "we shouldn't have killed off all the seals' natural predators"? Polar bears? Arctic foxes? Neither of these predators have been killed off. To what are you referring?