Zach LarkinsTHE SEAL HUNT
The great Canadian seal hunt is set to begin sometime next month and already it is causing controversy. Of course, it always does, but somehow those who are against it refuse to listen to facts, relying instead on the pap that is fed to them from people in PETA and other animal rights organizations.
Britain is probably the first objector, saying that they are concerned about the "reported cruelty" of the annual harvest, and promising to lead the push for a Europe-wide ban on seal products. A little bit too much Paul McCartney/Heather Mills I think, but at least they are going about it the right way. Keep the protesters on that side of the pond and don't let them interfere with what's more than just a tradition in Canada. Many people have written about the Europeans greed for seal skin items, and if that market dries up, the sealers will quit this hunt.
Hardly likely. James Wright, the Canadian high commissioner in London, fired off a letter to British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett and Trade Minister Ian McCartney blasting the latest British move, insisting that the U.K. government is "well aware that independent veterinary experts consider the hunting practices employed to be humane" and urging a "science- based dialogue" on the issue. But PETA and the others ignore this.
They insist the hakapiks used by many hunters involves cruel and unusual punishment to the seal. They say that clubbing them is even worse. Even when faced with the facts that the hakapik "originated with Norwegian sealers who found it very effective, and a 2002 report published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal found that the club or hakapik is an efficient tool designed to kill the animal quickly and humanely." I wonder if the Scandinavian countries have seal hunts, and if so, why aren't these people bothering them.
Even when faced with the fact that the seal population is not endangered and has grown significantly since the early 1970's from just under two million to around 5.9 million. Or that the seal hunt employs about 6,000 Atlantic Canadians. These people need the money, folks. They can't fish for cod anymore and they certainly can't rely on unemployment to see them through. The Inuit and East Coasters eat the meat and flippers and render the oil for various purposes. The skins are then sold locally or abroad. And the skins don't bring in that much money, but it's better than nothing.
Wright insists that Canada's seal-hunting methods "compare favourably to those used to hunt any other wild animals, and those used to slaughter domestic animals, such as cattle and poultry, for human consumption. "In short, the seal hunt is not only considered to be humane, but it is also a sustainable and an economically viable activity based on sound conservation principles."
The Brits want the current European ban on skins from the youngest animals, harp seals less than two-and-a-half-weeks old and hooded seals less than 16 months old, extended to all seal products. They seem to have missed the fact that Canada does not allow the killing of "whitecoat" harp seal pups or "blueback" hooded seal pups, both of which fall under the 2 ½ and 16 month requirements they want.
PETA and the rest also seem happy to ignore the following:
Canada does not allow the skinning of live seals;
Canada is not using the seal hunt to help with the recovery of cod stocks;
Canada maintains a robust seal population, not an "endangered" species;
Canada closely monitors hunting practices and punishes offenders;
Canada has backing from 60 per cent of its own population for a responsible seal hunt;
and the seal hunt supports an economically viable resource industry that is not propped up with government subsidies.
But all these people know best and have the right to stick their noses into Canada's business. I can't wait to hear from Rebecca Aldworth of the Humane Society of the United States. She has a big mouth and after she got banned from the hunt last year for interference, she'll probably have a lot more to say.
Sources: Randy Boswell - Canada Miffed - CanWest News Service
Chris Morris - New Rules - Canadian Press
Britain is probably the first objector, saying that they are concerned about the "reported cruelty" of the annual harvest, and promising to lead the push for a Europe-wide ban on seal products. A little bit too much Paul McCartney/Heather Mills I think, but at least they are going about it the right way. Keep the protesters on that side of the pond and don't let them interfere with what's more than just a tradition in Canada. Many people have written about the Europeans greed for seal skin items, and if that market dries up, the sealers will quit this hunt.
They insist the hakapiks used by many hunters involves cruel and unusual punishment to the seal. They say that clubbing them is even worse. Even when faced with the facts that the hakapik "originated with Norwegian sealers who found it very effective, and a 2002 report published in the Canadian Veterinary Journal found that the club or hakapik is an efficient tool designed to kill the animal quickly and humanely." I wonder if the Scandinavian countries have seal hunts, and if so, why aren't these people bothering them.
Wright insists that Canada's seal-hunting methods "compare favourably to those used to hunt any other wild animals, and those used to slaughter domestic animals, such as cattle and poultry, for human consumption. "In short, the seal hunt is not only considered to be humane, but it is also a sustainable and an economically viable activity based on sound conservation principles."
The Brits want the current European ban on skins from the youngest animals, harp seals less than two-and-a-half-weeks old and hooded seals less than 16 months old, extended to all seal products. They seem to have missed the fact that Canada does not allow the killing of "whitecoat" harp seal pups or "blueback" hooded seal pups, both of which fall under the 2 ½ and 16 month requirements they want.
PETA and the rest also seem happy to ignore the following:
Canada does not allow the skinning of live seals;
Canada is not using the seal hunt to help with the recovery of cod stocks;
Canada maintains a robust seal population, not an "endangered" species;
Canada closely monitors hunting practices and punishes offenders;
Canada has backing from 60 per cent of its own population for a responsible seal hunt;
and the seal hunt supports an economically viable resource industry that is not propped up with government subsidies.
But all these people know best and have the right to stick their noses into Canada's business. I can't wait to hear from Rebecca Aldworth of the Humane Society of the United States. She has a big mouth and after she got banned from the hunt last year for interference, she'll probably have a lot more to say.
Sources: Randy Boswell - Canada Miffed - CanWest News Service
Chris Morris - New Rules - Canadian Press
Another great read. Thanks!