Fighting Against the Canadian Seal Hunt

Every year Canada sponsors a massive seal hunt, killing and mutilating hundreds of thousands of seals. It is not an economic necessity, but an off-season tradition of unspeakable cruelty. They kill the seals by clubbing or shooting them. Many times if the gunshot doesn't kill them the first time they will just leave them in agony to die slowly, because the fur trade will not pay them as much if they have more than one bullet hole. According to the Humane Society of the United States, "A report by an independent team of veterinarians who studied 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 standards. Shockingly, the veterinarians found that in 42 percent of the cases they studied, the seals had likely been skinned alive while conscious."

This is not an issue simply for animal rights activists, it is an issue for anyone who wants to stand for what is right and protect those that cannot protect themselves. We are fighting against grown men who think it is a good idea to hit baby seals over the head and skin them alive. They kill and torture them simply for their fur, and I think that is wrong. European countries are also concerned about this senseless slaughter as well. They actually sent a member of the European parliament to witness and take photos of the seal hunt so they could know first hand if it violated cruelty standards. I guess a picture really is worth a thousand words, because from that experience in September of 2006 European parliament has voted to ban all trade of harp or hooded seal products (source).
The Humane Society has worked very hard to stop the cruel slaughter of baby seals and I would like to congratulate them for their tenacity. Every year they go out and film the slaughter and keep a diary of the entire incident. If you would like to help the seals, please boycott all Canadian seafood. Refuse to buy it yourself and do not eat at any restaurant that buys seafood from Canada. Check with your local grocery store and be certain they have joined the ban, if not shop somewhere else. The hunters in the fur trade are ruthless individuals who care about nothing but making a buck, so boycotts should be effective. I would also recommend boycotting the fur industry as well and let others know!