CANADA SEAL HUNT:
TWISTED AND DISORDERED HUNTERS AGAINST DEFENSELESS BABY SEALS
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
Anatole France
The green land located on the blue ocean, kissed by the high mountains and imprinted by so rich wildlife that is almost impossible to say nothing but natural paradise of Canada. This is a young country with old soul of wildness kept in its people. It is a treasure of successful immigration and developed multiculturalism but it is also a pure pearl of wildlife beauties and ecological progress. However, there is nothing so ideal on this world and Canada is showing us, lately, the another portrait of its own personality. The disbalance of environmental balance and the animal cruelty, the both very sensitive for one country to be considered as environmentally sustainable.
According to some researches made by WWF, Canada is making the big negative steps in the ecological footprints:“The Living Planet Report reveals that Canadians are using approximately 3.7 times their share of the Earth’s annual productivity, part of a global trend of increasing demand for resources by a growing population. This trend is putting tremendous pressures on our planet’s biodiversity and is threatening our future security, health and well-being. The correlated decline in biodiversity threatens not only the balance of our ecosystems, but also economic opportunities.Humanity’s demand on the planet is more than 50% larger than what nature can renew.We are currently using the equivalent of 1.5 planets to support our activities – if everyone on Earth lived as the average Canadian does, we’d need 3.7 planets to support our demand.”
The country that is known to be the pearl of protected nature and wildlife is getting into the hot zone of critics for being everything but not that what it used to be once. Natural beauty. Now, it seems that Canada and Canadians have forgotten that they have been gifted with the wonderful landscape and amazing flora and fauna. They are more and more known in this world for being cruel and without any respect for the Earth. That is a tragedy of modern world, the moment when we lose all standards of humanity and behave simply like predators and takers.
The bloody april in Canada. Every year, barbaric tradition of killing baby seals for purpose of profit and encouraged by Canadian government, the same that preaches about human rights and respect for all. Isn’t that ironic? It is ironic and it is shameful but it is happening annually, always between March and April, when thousands of baby seals are being killed in horrific scenes just for their fur. That is the biggest marine hunt ever because we are talking about 470,000 of baby seals that will be tortured and slaughtered just in the name of super profit and some ugly, greedy people.
In spite of the failure in the market of seal pelts due to the world-wide ban of the fur and rise of the animal rights, the commercial hunt is still allowed and practiced in Canada.
The killing is definite the idea for some future American horror movie because it is beyond the rational imaginable things that humans can do. Hunters with sadististic attributes and motives for earning dirty money from murdering, do not hesitate to deal with seal pups in the worst way ever. They know they must take care of keeping safe the pelts, so they kill babies just three weeks or three months old with the clubs or hekapik- so called hunting tool with a hammer head, enough for baby seal’s skull to crush. After the baby is cruelly slaughtered, they drag it away with a special hook. The animal rights activists warn that the babies are skinned while they are still alive and that is the point of total condemn for Canada and Canadians who do it, hoping they will sell the harvested products to the China, as laws stop any kind of this sale in Europe, America, Russia and Taiwan:” So far, 35 countries have banned trade in commercial seal products for animal welfare and conservation reasons, including the 28 European Union member states. Now HSI and Chinese animal group Beijing Capital Animal Welfare Association have joined forces to urge China take a strong stand for seals by banning commercial trade in their products.” At the moment when China finally says No to the Canadian profit greed and hunger for money, I assume that trend of killing and slaughtering those precious animals will go rapidly down.
They usually slaughter harper seals but they do kill also the grey and hooded seals in another proportion of death. This level of cruelty is exposed by social media all over the world but it doesn’t really stop the barbaric tradition to be hold on every year. The Canadian governments even admits that the seals are already endangered by the current climate changes that turn their natural habitats into melting zones and stop the potential for regular breedings.In comparison with those facts, the hunting and slaughtering of seals and especially the baby seals should have been banned and punished. Unfortunately, the financial calculation made by the Government and local communities is allowing the terrible end for the innocent creatures. Caught resting on the ice, they are tortured till the death and the pain they experience is something that will never be forgiven to the Canadians as the first committers and the rest of the world that walks away in the indifference.
The seals and the baby seals have all rights to enjoy their life on the Earth because this planet belongs not only to the humans but to the world of animals and plants too. If we were not so selfish and egoistic, we would appreciate more life itself. One day, all of those who do not have a soul, will finally understand what does it mean having soulless existence.
SARAH MAX RESEARCH 
Thank you, Sarah, for an excellent and moving article. It is very horrific and sickening to see our nature suffering due to our selfishness, greed, and hunger for money. It is a shameful and evil act by us humans and supported by our governments. Time will come when all those who lack kindness and mercy, will face their creator and be responsible for their wrong doing.
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Sarah’s heart-wrenching and imperative article reminded me of my years spent in Montreal, Canada (2009-2012); in the context of my own concerns for the Canadian seal hunting season.
As a child, I viewed BBC news reports and documentaries on the French actress Brigitte Bardot’s (born 1934) animal rights activism; especially, for seal pups in Canada. She tried to employ her celebrity status to highlight the horrendous industry. In 1986 (with others), she established The Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals. She became a vegetarian and raised F3 million (US$500,000) to fund the foundation by auctioning off her jewellery and other personal belongings.
In support of animal protection, she condemned seal hunting in Canada during a visit to that country with Paul Watson (born 1950; Canadian marine wildlife conservation and environmental activist) of The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (non-profit marine conservation organization). In 2011, The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society renamed its fast interceptor vessel, MV Gojira, as MV Brigitte Bardot, in appreciation of her support.
A Canadian intelligence report of 2010 (i.e. on ‘single issue terrorism’) states that ‘Watson and his supporters have been involved in a number of militant actions against whale hunting, driftnet fishing, seal hunting and other related issues’. The first direct action undertaken by The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was against Canadian seal hunting in The Gulf of St. Lawrence adjoining The Atlantic Ocean. In March of 1979, the 32 crew members aboard the Sea Shepherd vessel protested the hunt and 8 members were arrested after going on the ice to spray the pups with coloured organic dye; so as to render the pelts worthless to traders. About 1,000 seals were sprayed with the dye.
In 1981, so as to avoid easy detection, Sea Shepherd activists voyaged to the Canadian ice floes in ocean kayaks instead of a ship. They were protesting the announcement of the Canadian government to have a hunt occur at Prince Edward Island, because inexperienced sealers would mean more cruelty for the seals. The activists managed to spray hundreds of seals with organic blue dye before being arrested. The Canadian government was furious.
Sea Shepherd activists protested a Canadian seal hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the north coast of Nova Scotia in March of 1983. The arrival of the group led to a one-day suspension of the hunt. The Sea Shepherd II was ordered back by Canadian authorities after the vessel came within one half-mile of seal hunters. Paul Watson threatened to scuttle the ship if they attempted to board it. The crew was arrested without any resistance or injuries. They were charged with conspiracy to commit mischief and conspiracy to commit extortion. The campaign saved the lives of 76,000 seals.
In 1996, Sea Shepherd activists proposed brushing the fur off of molting seals instead of killing them. Using a research permit, they discovered that seals enjoyed having molting fur brushed off of them, and that the fur could be used to make great filling for such this as mattresses. A mattress company in Germany had expressed interest in cruelty-free seal products, and about 70 bags of seal fur were collected.
In 2005, Sea Shepherd activists campaigned against that year’s seal hunt in Canada, which included a boycott of Canadian seafood products.
The MV Farley Mowat vessel operated during Canadian seal hunting in March and April of 2008. The group contends it was in International Waters observing Canada’s seal hunt, while Canadian authorities allege the vessel was harassing the seal hunters. The MV Farley Mowat and a Canadian Coast Guard ship collided. The coast guard icebreaker had put itself between the MV Farley Mowat and a smaller seal hunter’s boat. The group stated that their vessel was rammed while The Department of Canadian Fisheries & Wildlife proclaimed that the coast guard ship was grazed by the Farley Mowat. The activists were arrested and convicted of endangering lives. According to Paul Watson, the arrests were intentional, as the media coverage in Western Europe would induce citizens to support a ban on imported seal products. Seal products were banned in The European Union in 2009.
As Sarah’s invaluable article concludes, the seals have a right to live on Earth without being harmed by humans: they have enough to contend with (e.g. oceanic pollution borne of human waste and mass industrialisation) besides the savage practice of being killed for their pelts…
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What a sad and heart-rending story !
Thank you, Sarah, for garnering all the facts for us in such a succinct way !
I was so profoundly hurt and saddened as I was reading about the exact description of how those baby seals are killed ! It’s unfathomable that so-called “humans” can be so evil and so cruel !
As many of our beautiful family of animal lovers and advocates on LinkedIn know, I have posted many petitions to defend and save the poor, innocent, helpless, and defenseless baby seals !
Further, as many already know, French actress, singer, fashion model, and most importantly animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has been trying hard to stop this barbaric practice for years to no avail !
I am so saddened and disheartened to see that our Canadian neighbors have not yet outlawed this criminal behavior !
I hereby implore the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, to promulgate a law condemning and banning any kind of seal hunting in Canada ! In addition, the law should have a stringent provision for severe penalties for violators including jail time and hefty fines in order to deter and would-be transgressors !
Sarah, your description of how the baby seals are killed saddened my heart, and your illustrations made me avert my eyes, both of which are testimonial of your profound and excellent rendition of this extremely sensitive topic.
I can’t thank you enough for your bringing this subject to light, as people need to understand the horrific death of those poor baby seals in order to elicit both their empathy and their sympathy !
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I remember seeing the photo of the murder of that baby seal back in the late 60s and early 70s. I still get angry.
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STOP THIS CRUELTY AGAINST ANIMALS. SHAME ON YOU CANADA
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We must not hunt any animal in this world. They are like us. Loard Budda teach us this very clrarly..
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The barbaric slaughter of baby seals or any seal is needless. There is no ligitamate purpose and serves no need. Stop this practice!!!!
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