About the Slaughter

-With more than one million seals killed in the last five years alone, Canada’s commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on earth.

-It is a hunt for baby seals. Fully 97 percent of the seals killed in the past five years have been less than three months of age, and most have been one month old or less.

-The seals are killed for their fur, most of which is exported for use in international fashion markets. The seal carcasses are normally left on the ice to rot.

Inherent Cruelty

-Veterinary experts say Canada’s commercial seal hunt is inherently inhumane because sealers are unable to consistently and effectively employ humane slaughter techniques in the environment in which the slaughter occurs.

-In 2001, an independent veterinary panel studied the commercial seal hunt and concluded in 42 percent of seals examined, there was not enough evidence of cranial injury to even guarantee unconsciousness at the time of skinning.

-A 2007 study by an international panel of veterinary and zoology experts found a widespread disregard for regulations by Canadian sealers, a failure to monitor the seal hunt by Canadian authorities, high wounding rates in seals that were shot or clubbed, wounded seals left to suffer for protracted periods of time, and sealers failing to ensure animals were dead in 66 percent of cases. The report concluded that both methods of killing seals in Canada-- clubbing and shooting--should be prohibited.

( Source : http://www.humanesociety.org/ )

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