Hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals have been clubbed to death in front of their mothers by fishermen in Canada. The quota that was set by the Canadian government for 2012 was about 400,000 seals. This number was expected to lower, since fewer seals were actually killed. The seal slaughter was restructured in 1987, and it was set to target seals that were two weeks old. At two weeks old the coat changes to grey. The Canadian government claims that these two week old seals are adults. At two weeks old harp seals are unable to swim and therefore escape. Despite arguments in favor of the seal slaughter, in 2001, veterinarians examined the skulls of the skinned seals and concluded that over 40% of the seals were still conscious and alive when they were skinned. Thus, harp seals are being skinned alive; the process of skinning an animals involves a small incision made either at the wrist or leg, the skin/fur is then ripped right off the animals body.
The Canadian seal slaughter is a commercial seal hunt, meaning that there are no aboriginal hunters, and no part of the seal is eaten, the body is simply discarded once the fur is removed. One of the arguments stated by the fishermen, is that the seals eat the cod that the fishermen are after, yet studies have shown that cod is only 3% of the seals diet. In fact the seals eat the animals that prey on cod. Thus a seal is part of a naturally balanced ecosystem. If you would like to take action or learn more about the issue here are some links:
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/canadian-seal-slaughter.aspx
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMcFfASAyG8
http://www.canadasshame.com/
http://www.canadiansealhunt.com/
