Texsox Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Canadian seal cull sparks protests Canadian seal cull sparks protests Thousands of seal hunters armed with clubs, rifles and spears are taking part in one of Canada's biggest ever culls. The hunt is expected to bring poor coastal communities millions of dollars but has been condemned by animal rights activists as barbaric. More than 320,000 harp seals are expected to be slaughtered by the end of the cull on May 15. The controversial hunt - target of protests since the 1960s - traditionally begins about two weeks after the seal pups are born and their fur changes from white to grey. Animal rights activists say the pups are clubbed to death and often skinned alive, but sealers and government officials who monitor the hunt insist the pups die instantly under strict guidelines. Regulations require that hunters ensure their prey is dead before moving on. Many countries, including the US, ban imports of seal products. But the Canadian government said the hunt brought badly needed income to its coastal communities, which earned about £7.2 million last year, primarily from pelt sales to Norway, Denmark and China. Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans said the country's seal population was "healthy and abundant," and noted there were an estimated 5 million harp seals, nearly the highest level ever recorded and almost triple what it was in the 1970s. But a report by the International Fund for Animal Welfare warned that the cull will damage the marine mammal population. IFAW spokesman AJ Cady said: "It's not about the price. What's a seal pup worth? It's worth more than a few dollars for a pelt and the price for level of suffering is just not acceptable. "Just today, we found a seal pup that was struck and lost. It was clubbed and escaped and died under the ice." Yahoo News Link Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KipWellsFan Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 This makes me really mad. Like the US drilling for oil in the north this is a selfish act by Canadian gov'ts to boost the coastal economies. I'm happy to see that the US and other countries have banned import of these products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 I've always thought that they did it to control the population of the seals. Isn't this pretty comparable to hunting season around here? If it weren't for that, we'd have an over-population of deer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 When do the old lady shoving, and kicking people in the nuts day happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyho7476 Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 QUOTE(Iwritecode @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 12:57 PM) I've always thought that they did it to control the population of the seals. Isn't this pretty comparable to hunting season around here? If it weren't for that, we'd have an over-population of deer... People get more mad when its a cuter animal...personally, I am not a hunter, but I don't disagree with a person's right to hunt. But hitting a lame duck seal, over the head to kill it, seems pretty cruel. I saw a picture of this and it was kind of disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxy Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 11:57 AM) When do the old lady shoving, and kicking people in the nuts day happen? Crap, I'm only supposed to do that on special days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamTell Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 QUOTE(KipWellsFan @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 11:47 AM) This makes me really mad. Like the US drilling for oil in the north this is a selfish act by Canadian gov'ts to boost the coastal economies. I'm happy to see that the US and other countries have banned import of these products. I'm happy to see other countries ban as well. But with the US drilling, I'm all for it, but that's complete different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KipWellsFan Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 01:46 PM) I'm happy to see other countries ban as well. But with the US drilling, I'm all for it, but that's complete different story. Indirectly harming wildlife instead of directly harming wildlife for economic purposes is okay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KipWellsFan Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 QUOTE(Iwritecode @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 11:57 AM) I've always thought that they did it to control the population of the seals. Isn't this pretty comparable to hunting season around here? If it weren't for that, we'd have an over-population of deer... I'm pretty sure this has nothing to do with controlling seal populations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nokona Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 You're right, no one likes caribou anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigHurt35 Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 QUOTE(KipWellsFan @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 02:11 PM) Indirectly harming wildlife instead of directly harming wildlife for economic purposes is okay? I'll take indirectly harming wildlife over viciously murdering baby mammals any day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KipWellsFan Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 QUOTE(TheBigHurt35 @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 03:16 PM) I'll take indirectly harming wildlife over viciously murdering baby mammals any day. I can agree with that, but I don't like it either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabroni Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 If seals weren't fat, cute, and defenseless no one would care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KipWellsFan Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 QUOTE(Jabroni @ Mar 31, 2005 -> 05:37 PM) If seals weren't fat, cute, and defenseless no one would care. Maybe, but does that make it anymore acceptible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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