Despite Historically Low Births and the Dwindling Numbers and Massive Deaths of Seal Pups Due to Global Warming, Canada Begins Bloody Seal Slaughter

Amazing that even with the number of deaths of seal pups at an all time high and the low number of births, cruel Canada allowed the baby seal slaughter to begin. Even given the facts, they still will allow the killing of 270,000!

This is even after Canadian officials admitted that seal pup deaths this year have been astronomical – see http://geari.blogspot.com/2007/03/despite-acknowledging-dwindling-numbers.html for quotes.

For more on cruel Canada’s annual baby seal slaughter including photos and video that show the reality of grown men putting clubs or hakapik or picks through the heads of baby seals who cannot move see: http://www.seashepherd.org/seals/

And
http://www.stopthesealhunt.ca/site/pp.asp?c=dhKPI1PFIqE&b=437193

Here is some great information on how you can attempt to stop the annual baby seal slaughter: http://www.stopthesealhunt.ca/site/pp.asp?c=dhKPI1PFIqE&b=1477703


Article:

Canada's controversial seal hunt starts

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070402/ap_on_re_ca/canada_seal_hunt

By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press Writer Mon Apr 2, 7:18 PM ET

TORONTO - Canada's controversial annual seal hunt opened Monday in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, where the worst ice conditions in more than two decades have nearly wiped out the herd there.

Fisheries officials said the scarcity of seals in the area led to only two of 40 eligible boats participating in the start of the traditional spring hunt that is important to the livelihood of Canadian seal hunters and aboriginal peoples.

"The bad ice contributed to a high rate of drowning" of baby seals, Fisheries Department spokesman Phil Jenkins said. "The mortality from bad ice is going to be fairly high."

The ice is broken and deteriorated and Jenkins said it is part of a trend seen over the past four or five years. Newborn seals cannot swim in the first weeks of life and need solid ice to survive.

The total quota for this year's seal hunt is 270,000 animals. That is 65,000 fewer than last year, a change made mainly because of the toll from the ice conditions. The seal population in Canada now stands at about 5.5 million.

Simon said the largest concentration of seals was in the more northerly Strait of Belle Isle, between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. Ice conditions there are better and the area will be open to hunters beginning Wednesday.

About 70 percent of the seals sought in Canadian waters will be taken in the third stage of the hunt — off northern Newfoundland. An opening date has yet to be announced.

Animal welfare groups condemned the government's decision to allow a hunt in the southern region.

"I've witnessed the hunt for nine years, and I've never seen ice conditions this bad," said Rebecca Aldworth of the Humane Society of the United States.

The United States has banned Canadian seal products since 1972 and theEuropean Union banned the white pelts of baby seals in 1983.

The European Commission said earlier this month that it would launch a study to see whether seal hunting in Canada is carried out in a humane way, though it has so far rejected calls for an EU-wide ban on the import of adult seal pelts and other products.