Today I'd like to discuss the horrors of the sealhunt in Canada. I've always loved seals, I think they look so cute and chubby and they look so sweet when they're lying in the sun enjoying the weather. I know nature is cruel and a lot of big mammals eat seals, but that's unfortunately how hunter-prey works. What I do not understand is the huge quota for this year's seal hunt. A whopping 400.000 seals will be killed this year, more than ever. And not just any seals, seals under three months of age, infants lying to rest defenseless.
I have nothing against people wanting to earn a living and killing animals for food (that's just the way of the world), but 400.000 is rediculous.
It's plain selfish. "There are no jobs here and it brings in buckets of money, so we'll just kill more and more, good for us!" They don't think about the wellfare of the animals, seals are not endangered so we shouldn't care how many they kill. If Canada and some other continue continue preying on infant seals, they will get in trouble. 400.000 is too much, the seal population will lose many of its young and hence a whole generation gets lost. Also, the most valuable part of the seal is not the meat but the fur, a non-essential luxury product that no-one really needs. Hence, most of the killings are for pointless things.
Europe banned all seal productsm which really pissed off the seal hunters, but thanks to China it did little good. Still, I'm proud that, like the US, Europe recognizes that it is a brutal practice and cannot be fully justified. People can't just do as they please without thinking of the consequences for the animals. It is unsure whether China will go for all those seal products, but they're going to go forward and kill that many anyway. It is the highest quota since the quotas were introduced in 1971. Unbelievable.
Not only is the amount of kills incomprehensible, the way of killing is brutal. The poor little seals are killed right in front of the mother, who is unable to help, with a club or also named hakapik. The formerly snowy landscape turns into a field of bloody gory mess.
Sorry for the gory picture, but sometimes it's necessary to see the reality. Many reports have been claimed saying the cubs are killed in an inhumane manner and are left to suffer for an eternity. These reports were claimed at moments when the hunters were unaware that they were being watched. A while back a number of vets were sent out to conduct a research, and they concluded that 98% of the kills were humanely. The killings were however done in the presence of the vets, which makes the reports pointless. Do they seriously think the hunters will be cruel when they are being watched for that purpose? They're not stupid. When they are not being watched, seals are left seriously wounded while hunters go after other seals, causing indescribable suffering. Some claims have been made that seals have even been known to be skinned while still alive. The hunters simply don't see the seals as living, feeling beings. They're money. And when money is involved, compassion dissapears.
The giant amount is more than likely approved due to regional politics played by the Prime Minister in view of upcoming elections.
What's worse is that due to the serious lack of ice cover this year a lot of cubs will drown. More the reason to call off the hunt or reduce the number so that enough cubs are left to grow up and uphold the population.
But who cares over there right?
South Park was right. I blame Canada too.
PS: Nothing against the Canadian people of course, lots of great people there, this slaughter thing just angers me.
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