Call on Canadas New Prime Minister to End the Seal Slaughter

[Jeanny]

The largest commercial slaughter of marine mammals on the planet is set to begin again in Canada next month.

By the end of the hunt, more than 300,000 seals are expected to be clubbed or shot to death by fishermen who hunt seals off-season to pick up extra cash by selling their skins. Almost all of their victims will be babies -- some as young as 12 days old.

During a recent hunt, veterinarians who examined dead seals concluded that 42% of the seals examined had most likely been skinned while they were alive and still conscious.


Polls consistently show that most Canadians oppose the hunt, but still the Canadian government and fishing industry refuse to end it.

But there is new hope on the ice. Canada has a new Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and a new party in power. With enough public support, they may consider ending this terrible hunt forever.


Sign this petition now and send it to anyone who cares about protecting the lives of Canada's seals.


http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/566342047

[MissDolittle]

I signed!

[WingedCat]

I hope this will help to stop this barbaric practice! :smt010

[Jeanny]

the hunt began....

there are over 150000 signs at the moment..the goal was put higher to 175000....

it is sad that we are not able to spread the word so far that at least a million people already signed

poor world

[MissDolittle]

The hunt has begun.

At daylight this morning, the first baby seal was killed for her fur on Canadian ice. It was heartbreaking to watch, but bearing witness to this cruelty -- and exposing it to the world -- is essential if we are finally to end this slaughter.

I am now in Canada, leading a skilled team of experts from The Humane Society of United States to the ice floes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We are here once again to document the horrifying abuses inflicted by sealers, abuses that violate Canada's own laws.

We are also here to bear witness to the brutality that is perfectly legal and acceptable in the eyes of the Canadian government: the bludgeoning, shooting, and skinning of hundreds of thousands of baby seals. Just two weeks ago, I was on the ice with Heather and Paul McCartney, watching these same seals nursing and playing with their mothers. Heather and Paul were so moved by their beauty and innocence that they made a public plea to the Canadian government to ban the hunt forever.

We can make the Canadian government stop this hunt. But it will require unrelenting pressure from people like you and me, who constantly tell Canada that we will not stand idly by while hunters kill these baby seals. On this tragic day, I urge you to join me in stopping the seal hunt forever.

Take action now.

[MissDolittle]

I just got this email...made me very angry! :smt013

As you read this e-mail, Canadian fishermen are clubbing and shooting to death thousands of baby seals for their fur. Last week, The Humane Society of the United States was in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, documenting the first phase of Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt. We were there to expose this cruelty to the world as part of our campaign to stop the hunt once and for all.

Today, I want to update you on the dramatic events that have unfolded during the first weeks of the hunt.

Update from the Ice

While in the icy waters of the Gulf, my team of observers and members of the media riding in our boats were continually harassed by sealers. Here is just a glimpse of what our dedicated team of experts witnessed and endured:

The ProtectSeals Team catches Canadian fishermen in acts of aggression against both seals and humans.


On the second day of the hunt, a sealing boat rammed one of our small inflatable boats, forcing it onto the ice, damaging the propeller, and endangering the lives of all aboard.

Later in the day, two other sealing vessels repeatedly charged at our inflatable boats, putting all observers at risk of capsizing. When the captain of The HSUS’s nearby vessel twice radioed the Canadian Coast Guard -- which was patrolling the waters ostensibly to ensure the safety of both sealers and observers -- for help, his calls were ignored.

After a sealing vessel chased down one of our small boats and forced it to maneuver quickly to avoid being crushed into the ice, officers of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans emerged from the vessel’s cockpit and arrested our team for allegedly violating the terms of our observation permits by supposedly coming within 10 meters of a sealing vessel. Seven legally permitted observers, including representatives of The HSUS and one media representative, were detained, and our footage of the hunt was immediately confiscated.

Although no charges have been filed against the observers, Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has announced that The HSUS will not be allowed to observe the rest of the seal hunt. Right now we are exploring all legal options available.

But here's the real tragedy in this story. Yesterday, the hunt in the Gulf resumed, and it is estimated another 70,000 seals will be clubbed and shot to death over the next few days in this second phase of the hunt. Seals are dying at this moment by the tens of thousands, just for their fur. And by the time this year’s hunt closes in May, more than 325,000 baby seals will be dead in total, each one sacrificed for the relatively few dollars furriers pay for their skins.

How You Can Help
The Canadian government and fishing industry have demonstrated repeatedly that they don’t care that the world condemns the seal hunt for its cruelty. A boycott of Canadian seafood will show them that the cost of continuing the seal hunt is simply too high. Already more than 400 restaurants and at least 280,000 individuals have pledged not to buy some or all seafood from Canada. Please print out this pledge form, take it to all the restaurants that sell seafood in your neighborhood, and ask them to sign it.


By forbidding The HSUS to observe this second phase of the hunt, the Canadian government is clearly trying to keep the world from seeing the cruelty it allows to take place on the ice. It is gambling that international outrage will abate and that the world will forget the hideous images we have already been able to broadcast to every continent. But the Canadian government will lose that gamble. With your support, I know that we can keep the pressure on Canada to end its shameful slaughter.

I want to thank you so much for your commitment to saving the seals. Remember that you can stay in touch with the campaign with up-to-the-minute news, videos, and actions throughout the hunt at www.ProtectSeals.org.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Aldworth
Director of Canadian Wildlife Issues
The Humane Society of the United States[/b]

[thundersquirrel]

i definitely signed....i just hope i can grow old and tell my grandkids that people used to be cruel to animals legally, and they'll gasp, but i'll reassure them that i helped stop the madness along with all good people on earth....

*sigh* one thing is certain; laws or no laws, i won't stop fighting for animal rights.

[MissDolittle]

Count me in! I start in front of my own door and talk to the neighbors that
have outside dogs and usually don't care much about them. A little bit of
education can make a huuuge difference.

One of my new neighbors are really bad, they drowned one puppy in their
kids' pool and still have one running around. In a case like this I informed
animal control and they got them on a watch list.

But Petitions like this can also help, so I sign what I can sign :).

[Anonymous]

Too early...

[MissDolittle]

Too early for what? Are you trying to advertise your url or are you trying to
make sense? lol

[Saviah Wildlife]

This is one of the things with animals that pisses me off most. I've seen enough video to make me homicidal against humans. I can't FATHOM how people could be so numb and do such a thing?????

[MissDolittle]

Ya, I hear ya. No such thing than peace on earth. Have you ever imagined
what it would like if everybody was nice?

I saw this one x-file a while ago with a Genie. Mulder had free wishes and he
wished for peace on earth. He got it alright..he was the only one left on the
planet lool.

[thundersquirrel]

seriously, it makes me sick that people still buy so much fur.....i want to throw paint on them all. ridiculous. i'm just glad that some fur coats are donated to the humane society. they use the furs as cushions and blankets for animals, especially wild animals. an orphaned bunny sleeping on a bunny fur will feel some definite comfort. that's the only way i like fur.

WeAr YoUr OwN sKiN!

[Saviah Wildlife]

Did I ever say what I thought about fur?

Basically I see how there was a need for such warm clothing, way back when there was nothing else.

Now I think it's funny that people go out of their way to look like they have all this fur (hair) and yet in this day and age we're hell bent on not having much hair on our bodies and do all we can to get RID of it?

Is it just me that sees the irony in that?

I mean there's electrolosis, Nair, plucking, Vaniqua etc.