by Rebecca Aldworth
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| A baby seal rests on the ice floes for the world's largest marine mammal slaughter. March 2009 © The HSUS/Glover |
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My worst nightmare is about to begin again.
Next week, hundreds of seal hunters will move into the pristine harp seal nursery of Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence and club and shoot to death every defenseless seal pup in their path.
This is Canada's commercial seal slaughter, and it takes place every year solely to supply fur for the fashion industry.
It was just days ago that we stood on those ice floes, watching the newborn pups nurse from their mothers.
What Lies Ahead
It seemed unthinkable then that these pups could be killed so soon. But fate has been cruel.
Strong winds have pushed a large area of sea ice, covered in baby seals, against the shores of the Magdalen Islands. Trapped just a few miles off the coast of one of the key sealing areas in Canada, these pups have little chance of survival.
The babies are so young, and many are still covered in white fur. But their proximity is making the sealers impatient to start the kill. Today, the Canadian government tells us the slaughter could begin as early as Sunday.
Impossible to Imagine
This will be my 11th year in a row bearing witness to one of the most extreme forms of cruelty on the planet: the butchering of helpless, terrified seal pups.
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| A sealer drags the body of a baby seal across the ice during the 2008 hunt.© The HSUS/Glover |
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The carnage is palpable—blood will spread across the ice floes, the small carcasses with vacant eyes staring up at us. Worse is what comes before—the beating of the terrified pups, their miserable cries, the wounded babies left to suffer in agony.
It is almost impossible to imagine it until you have seen it for yourself. Nothing prepares me for it, and nothing makes it easier to see. The only way to survive it is the knowledge that we are ending it.
Because that is exactly what it happening.
Shutting This Down
Even as Canadian sealers head for the ice floes, a change is in the air.
In weeks, the European Union will vote on a proposal to ban its trade in seal products—a move many believe could spell the final end of commercial seal slaughter in Canada. A primary market for seal products, the EU is also home to the trend setting fashion houses in Italy and France—if seal products are no longer shown on those runways, demand in other parts of the world will decline dramatically.
In the United States, a boycott of Canadian seafood—that will continue until the commercial seal slaughter is ended forever—is gaining tremendous momentum. More than 5,000 establishments and 600,000 individuals have pledge to avoid some or all Canadian seafood so far, and more businesses and people join every single day. It won't be long before Canada's fishing industry takes action to save the seals, if only to protect its profits.
Explore the harp seal nursery, just weeks ago.
Hope on the Horizon
This week, the Russian government made headlines around the world when it announced a complete ban on slaughter of seals under one year of age–effectively ending one of the major kills of harp seals in the world. Yuriy Trutnev, Russia's Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology, called seal slaughter "bloody," noting that the killing of defenseless animals can't be called a hunt. The announcement led many to question how the Canadian government could continue to defend the killing of baby seals in Canada.
But perhaps it is the news from Canada that stands out the most. Days ago, Senator Mac Harb introduced a historic bill in Canadian Senate, one which would end the commercial seal slaughter.
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You can help stop the slaughter of baby seals in Canada.
Click here to act» © Nigel Barker LLC |
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While there is a long way to go before such a proposal would become law, this is a critical moment in the campaign to save the baby seals.
For the first time, Canadians have proposed legislation to support and end to the hunt, and they've at last found a true champion for seals in the government.
More than anything, this development signals real hope for the seals and a better tomorrow.
As I depart for the ice floes once again, I am holding on to that hope as hard as I can. Together, we are doing what many told us could not be done—we are ending the commercial seal slaughter in Canada. It will be a hard fight and one we need to see through to the end—but we're not going anywhere.
With your support, we will make history, and this truly could be the last slaughter of baby seals any of us ever has to witness. Click here to join our fight»
Rebecca Aldworth is director of Humane Society International Canada (HSI Canada). For more than a decade, she has observed firsthand Canada's commercial seal hunt—escorting more than 100 scientists, parliamentarians and journalists to the ice floes to bear witness to the largest marine mammal slaughter on Earth.
