Stop the Commercial Seal Hunt

The facts:

* Over 300,000 seals, mostly babies, will be bludgeoned or shot to death for their fur.

* The income generated by the commercial seal hunt doesn't go as far as the Canadian government would like you to think; it accounts for less than one percent of Newfoundland's GDP - an average of only $1,000 per sealer.

* The seals are slaughtered in the most inhumane fashion during the hunt - routinely clubbed or shot and left to suffer on the ice, then dragged over the side of boats with sharpened metal hooks. Some are even skinned alive.

* When Danny Williams, Premier of Labrador and Newfoundland, was given the chance to tell the truth about the hunt during a recent episode of "Larry King Live" on CNN, he chose instead to lay false claims about the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and their documentation of the hunt's cruelty.
Claiming to speak on behalf of Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Williams said: "IFAW representatives, veterinarians and other experts have said the seal hunt is humane."
The truth? There isn't a single reputable "expert" or "veterinary group" that has observed the seal hunt and called it humane. In fact, IFAW experts concluded the slaughter to be inherently cruel and horrific.


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Baby seals are drowning.

The lack of ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has led to a mortality rate for seal pups that could exceed 90%. And yet the cruel hunt to kill baby seals continues.

The Canadian government has announced that 270,000 seals can be taken in this year's hunt. Yet according to the government's own scientists, this number is well above the amount of seals needed to maintain a sustainable population.

Your voice is urgently needed to protest this unnecessary and irresponsible hunt. StoptheSealHunt.org is your number one resource to help these baby seals, 98% of which will be between two weeks and three months old when they are cruelly clubbed or shot.

Surveillance flights are reporting that there are virtually no harp seal pups to be found in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Without ice, mothers are forced to give birth to their pups in the water before they can swim.

In light of these tragic ice conditions, the responsible thing for Canada's government to do would have been to call off this year's seal hunt. Tragically, the Canadian government continues to put politics ahead of science.

Add your voice along with thousands of others from around the globe to create a unique online community that celebrates your participation in putting an end to this cruel hunt.

1) Act: Visit StoptheSealHunt.org

2) Join: Upload your photo and protest message.

3) Share: View images and comments from other activists around the world.

The new interactive site features a Seal Hunt blog with daily updates from Canada, audio podcasts, and videos and photos from IFAW hunt monitors at the scene of the hunt.

You'll also receive information on how to take action as well as multiple ways to enlist others to support our fight against this inhumane practice.


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Top three seal hunt myths



Here are the top three myths told by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) about the upcoming commercial seal hunt:


Myth #1: The seal hunt is humane.

All available evidence, including veterinary reports and independent observations, indicates that each year tens of thousands of seal pups die in an unacceptably cruel manner inconsistent with contemporary animal welfare standards.

Year after year, observers report abuses such as the hooking and dragging of live seals across the ice, seals clubbed or shot and left to suffer on the ice, and seals skinned while conscious. While all recent veterinary reports recommend reducing the suffering of seals, their recommendations have not been fully implemented. There is no doubt that Canada’s commercial seal hunt continues to result in considerable and unacceptable suffering.


Myth #2: The seal hunt is closely monitored and well managed.

The seal hunt involves thousands of sealers competing for a limited number of seals during a relatively short period of time. Sealers are concerned with killing as many animals as quickly as possible instead of checking to see if a seal is dead before moving on to club the next one.

Year after year, IFAW hunt observers encounter seals that have been clubbed and left to suffer on the ice, bleeding profusely, crying, breathing and attempting to crawl. These are not “reflexes” as the DFO claims, which are easily recognised and familiar to those observing the seal hunt.

During 2006, the DFO claimed to have had 12 monitors for the Gulf hunt, the largest enforcement effort ever. Yet sealers in one region were allowed to take three times their quota without any consequences. In fact the Total Allowable Catch has been exceeded in four of the past five years.


Myth #3: The seal hunt is sustainable.

A recent study by IFAW scientists found that the current management approach risks depleting the harp seal herd by as much as 70% in the next 15 years. Seal catch quotas set by the Canadian government are much higher than government scientists’ estimates of what is sustainable, and these quotas are then allowed to be exceeded.

The DFO often states that the harp seal population has tripled since the 1970s. However, this ignores the fact that between 1950 and 1970 the harp seal population was reduced by as much as two-thirds from seal hunting. Since 1995, harp seals are being killed at levels similar to those that caused a dangerous decline in the past, and the DFO now admits that the population has declined.

Climate change is also presenting a new threat to the harp seal population by negatively impacting their breeding habitat. Increasingly, poor ice conditions off the east coast of Canada are causing higher than normal seal pup mortality. Government scientists estimate that in 2002, 75% of the pups in the Gulf of St. Lawrence died due to a lack of ice before the hunt even began. Yet the government continues to increase the total allowable catches for harp seals, putting the population at increased risk.


Visit http://www.stopthesealhunt.ca to learn more


http://www.stopthesealhunt.com/c.ihKPIWPCIqE/b.5015401/k.8FB6/Action_Item_TEST/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx





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Urge Olympic Committee to Help End the Canadian Seal Slaughter


All eyes are on Canada as it prepares to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. This extra attention will bring increased scrutiny and comes with the added responsibility of setting a positive example for the world. That's why we are calling on the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to use its clout to help stop the Canadian seal slaughter.

During Canada's annual seal massacre, hundreds of thousands of baby seals are shot or have their skulls crushed, all for the sake of "fashion." Sealers routinely hook seals in the eye, cheek, or mouth to avoid damaging the pelt, then drag the seals across the ice, in many cases without checking to ensure that they are unconscious.

Baby seals stand no chance against club-wielding trappers, and they must look on as fellow pups are bludgeoned to death before meeting the same bloody fate. The anguish that a mother seal feels as she watches her baby being beaten to death just a few feet away from her is horrifying and can be heard in her desperate cries and seen in her attempts to get to her baby.

The 2009 seal slaughter has ended, but PETA's campaign to stop the massacre permanently has just begun. It's clear that the Canadian seal slaughter is quickly losing favor and support: This year, about three-fourths of the seals who were scheduled to be bludgeoned or shot to death were spared. But we still need your help to make sure Canada doesn't think the protests will end just because the killing slowed. Urge Canada's prime minister and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to help stop the slaughter forever.

Please write to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee and demand that it help bring an immediate end to the seal slaughter. Share this action alert with everyone you know. A few minutes of your time will make a huge difference for baby seals.



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