Friday 30th March 2007
by JennyI just received this comment to my previous blog posts about Canada allowing the slaughter of baby seals. Apparently, some people believe the propaganda about the seals not being babies, simply because they have shed their white coats. 95% of the seals slaughtered each year are under the age of 3 months – how is that not a baby, Barry? Perhaps you and other Canadians are trying to soothe your conscience by saying, “well, it doesn’t have the white coat anymore, so it’s not a baby.” These seals are still nursing, and few have eaten solid food yet. Last time I checked…that is a baby.
At any rate, why is it ok to slaughter these animals anyway, simply for their fur? It is a disgusting practice that contributes little to the Canadian economy. I have yet to hear a good argument about why this practice should continue. I, for one, will continue to boycott Canadian seafood.
As far as your argument goes in regards to using old footage – that simply is not the case. There are RECENT pictures of people killing these animals. Nice try.
Barry Says:
March 30th, 2007 at 3:33 am e The Seal hunt that takes place on the East Coast of Canada Do NoT Kill Baby Seals.The seals that are killed are older seals. The Killing of Baby seals took place years ago and was banded on the East Coast. The IFAW are still using old footage with White Baby Seals,Big Black Eyes and Red Blood and a Mother Seal. This is a good tool for the IFAW to use . In the East Coast Hunt we….. Shoot Older Seals Not Baby White Seals . The Law do not permit you to kill white coats. Your Blog would be ok years ago, But is now out of date. Next time please get your facts from a good sourse . Not the IFAW or other groups. They will post false facts to make a point.
.Try the Goverment of Canada and ask for the facts about the seal hunt.
When you do this please make the correction in your opening Blog and post it again……………
Barry
Every March, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, the seal hunters gather to slaughter baby seals for their fur pelts…………. “
So Barry, YOU are the one that needs to do some research. This is a disgusting out-of-date practice that needs to be abolished. Killing baby animals to sell their fur is barbaric, and so are the ones slaughtering them.
i dont know whats wrong with you people these seals are innocent creatures that you are killing.
Ken, I’m going to go ahead and assume you’re crazy…so thanks for the post, and I’ll just chalk your comment up to the voices in your head.
Katie, I appreciate you reading my blog. Also, thank you for correcting me about there only being 2 sealers from your town. If I misstated, I apologize for that. That really is beside the point, however. The fact of the matter is that Canada allows upwards of 350,000 seals to be killed every season. Just because they no longer have their white coats does not mean they aren’t babies. (They lose their white coats around 3 weeks of age.) They’re still nursing when they’re slaughtered. They’re still babies. These are not adults that are being killed. Also, how can you explain the masses of carcasses left behind? Obviously that meat isn’t being utilized. The hunters are not simply the Canadian Aboriginals – I have no problem with them hunting seals because they do not mass hunt them, and only use the fur. They use the entire animal, similar to the American Indians and the Bison. (By the way, people once thought Bison could never go extinct – there were millions…but due to mass hunting – they nearly did go extinct. This is eerily similar to Canadians’ attitude about the seals.)
I realize that some of the video may be slanted, however, there are still documented cases of hunters not abiding by what your legislation deems appropriate. With so many seals to kill, do you really think every hunter takes the time to follow every rule and ensure a swift and painless death for the baby seals? If you really, truly think that, you’re sadly mistaken.
You asked if I’ve ever seen a seal up close – yes I have. I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area, and they’re all over Pier 39. Yes, they’re stinky. But people could say the same about dogs or other pets. That’s beside the point. That doesn’t make it ok to slaughter baby seals.
I realize you’re quite defensive of the practice of hunting seals, and no matter what I say, you won’t change your mind. I don’t have to. The United States banned seal hunts, and hopefully Canada will wake up and realize it’s a barbaric practice that contributes little to the economy. (Several million is not much, economically speaking.) I think you should know, however, that I don’t care at all about what the celebrities do in regards to this. I’m actually very conservative, however, this hunt goes against my conscience, and I have to speak out about it. There are plenty of other places to get seafood, and I will do so. Money speaks louder than anything, and Canada will eventually feel the fiscal impact of this. Boycotts do work because really, all your country is concerned about is money, and when their bottom line is hurting, they’ll reconsider.
I do wish you all the best, and I hope you’ll do research as well about how mass hunting can impact animal population greatly. It doesn’t just hurt the seals. I have done my research, and looked at both sides of the story, and you really should do the same. You may be surprised.
Jenny,
I’m from Charlottetown, PEI. I don’t know why you feel the need to blame my little province for Canada’s seal hunt.
Out of the 20-some seal licences on the Island, only about 2 sealers hunt each year…that’s hardly a “hunt”.
Do you really think boycotting Canadian seafood is going to stop sealers from going onto the ice? And by the way, the hunt primarily takes place in Newfoundland and in the Magdalene Islands…not so much on PEI.
There is somewhere around 6 million seals in the ocean between PEI and Newfoundland…over population is a problem.
Barry’s right…there’s a law against hunting seal pups. Those videos animal rights activists like to shove in people faces….you know the ones: Where the baby seal is being killed and the blood is all over the snow and the creature’s being burried alive….is outdated. They are often shot, or hit with a club with a spike on it. It’s normally hit a few times to ensure it’s dead. It’s a fairly quick practice.
Skinned alive? Maybe once upon a time….but legislation prohibits that.
Have you ever seen a seal up close? They’re filthy and stink like rotting fish.
By the time they are killed, they’ve shed their white fur.
The hunt isn’t just to sell the pelts…it’s not done “simply for their fur”. Not only is it a tradition among many Canadian Aboriginals and Inuits to hunt seals, but seals provide leather, oil, Omega-3, food…it’s not just about vanity, although acitivists would like you to believe that’s all the hunt is about.
Anyway, you can bitch all you like, the hunt will continue, and no amount of boycotting or celeb-protesting is going to change that.
Long live the sealers!!!
If their fur wasn’t so soft they’d be ok. But it is so soft! Kill them!