Ban the Cruel Seal Trade | BanSealTrade.eu | Why the Commercial Seal Slaughter Must End

Why the Commercial Seal Slaughter Must End

Agony. © Brian Skerry/HSI

For Rebecca Aldworth, ProtectSeals team leader and director of Humane Society International Canada, this year will be the 11^th year she has documented the commercial seal slaughter in Canada. In that time she has witnessed and filmed terrible, heartbreaking acts of cruelty.

Here, Rebecca describes what she has seen:

“Over the years, I’ve witnessed unimaginable cruelty—live seals impaled on hooks and dragged across the ice; seals sliced open while still conscious; wounded seals left to suffer in agony, choking on their own blood.”

In 2007, several leading European veterinary experts in humane slaughter observed the seal slaughter in Canada. Their report concluded it was inherently inhumane and should be stopped. Download the report here [PDF]. Read fast facts about the seal hunt here.

Today, the European Parliament made history when it voted overwhelmingly to ban trade in seal products.

We could not have won this victory without our supporters. Advocates in Europe and around the world sent letters, faxes, and emails showing the decision-makers in the EU that people care deeply about the seals. When we all work together, we can make a real difference for seals and other animals.

Europe has been a primary market for Canadian seal products, and many believe this ban spells the beginning of the end of the slaughter; however, the fight is not over yet. That is why we will continue maintaining economic pressure on Canada's fishing industry through our boycott of Canadian seafood products. We will continue pressing for a strong law in Canada to stop commercial sealing. And we will continue to lobby other nations to ban seal products.

Thank you for being a part of this historic campaign to save the seals. I know we can count on you to stay with us as we bring a final end to Canada's commercial seal slaughter.