Seals Slaughter
MLAR urges people to support the Humane Society of the United State's ban on Canadian fish products until Canada's government stops the annual slaughter of over 350,000 harp seals. Ninety-seven percent of the seals killed are pups under three months of age. An independent team of veterinarians who followed the hunt found that 42% of the cases they studied, the seals had likely been skinned alive while conscious. Over one million seals have been slaughter in the last three years, even though, in Newfoundland, which is where the majority of the fishermen who participate in the yearly bloodbath live, revenues from the hunt account for less than 1% of the province's economy. Seal fur is banned in the Untied States, but many European countries buy seal pelts and Norway actually subsidizes eighty percent of Canada's annual hunt.
Many restaurants like New York's famed Tavern on the Green will not serve Canadian products like cod, snow crabs and shrimp. Large food store chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have joined the international ban and should be commended for recognizing the need to stop the brutality. Please urge your favorite grocery store or restaurant to join the ban. When dining out, ask your waiter if the fish is from Canada before ordering. If it is from the land of seal hunts, order pasta.
A few well-known fashion designers use seal fur in their collections, and by doing so, offer Canadian fisherman a strong incentive to continue the hunt. Gucci, Versace and Prada have all use seal fur for designer items such as vests, jackets, shoes, coats, pillows and lamp shades. Please do not purchase products from these fashion houses until they stop promoting the killing of baby seals.
What you can do to stop Canada's annual Seal Slaughter.
1. Contact Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper* and ask him to stop the yearly slaughter of over 350,000 baby seals.
Prime Minister's Office
Right Honorable Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington St.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OA2 1-613-992-4211
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca
2. Write, fax, e-mail, or call the Canadian embassy. The contact information for the embassy in Washington, D.C., is below:
The Honourable Frank McKenna
Office of the Ambassador
Canadian Embassy
501 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-682-1740
Fax: 202-682-7701, 202-682-7678
canada@canadianembassy.org
Click here for suggested points to make.
3. Don't vacation in Canada. Consider instead spending your tourist dollars in a nation that does not actively promote the barbaric slaughter of wildlife. Write* to the Canadian Tourism Commission and the Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Office to explain why you've made this decision.
Canadian Tourism Commission
55 Metcalfe St.
Suite 600
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6L5
613-946-1000
E-mail: Use the Contact Us form on www.canadatourism.com
Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism
P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, NL Canada A1B 4J6
1-800-563-6353
E-mail: tourisminfo@gov.nl.ca
4. Tell Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans that the world knows the truth about the cruelty of the seal hunt and wants it shut down for good.*
The Hon. Loyola Hearn
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
House of Commons
Suite 648-S, Centre Block
Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1A 0A6
1-613-992-0927 or 1-613-992-3474
Fax: 1-613-995-7858
E-mail: HearnL@parl.gc.ca