Canada’s commercial seal hunt begins

Canada’s commercial seal hunt which involves the shooting and clubbing of baby harp seals for their fur has begun.

Currently, trade in commercial seal products is banned by 35 countries, including the 28 European Union member states, the United States and Russia. With dwindling world markets for seal products, the Canadian sealing industry is banking on China and India to import the seal fur, oil and meat that other nations refuse to buy.

International animal rights organization, Humane Society International (HSI) has called upon the Indian and Chinese governments to take a strong stand for seals by prohibiting commercial trade in their products.

“This is my eighteenth year bearing witness to the commercial seal slaughter. It is devastating to watch the suffering of these seal pups, but we do so knowing that the evidence is shutting this industry down. The suffering of these defenseless pups is utterly heartbreaking. With more and more countries refusing to buy commercial seal products, the primary reasons the slaughter continues today are government subsidies and the false promise that a new market will emerge for seal fur. Humane Society International is calling on China and India to set the record straight and help put right an international wrong by banning commercial trade in seal products,” said Rebecca Aldworth, executive director for the HSI’s Canada chapter.