The Canadian seal hunt has inspired many people to take action, whether it be through letter writing or encouraging their friends to join the boycott of Canadian seafood.
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| Most of the pups slaughtered are only weeks old. © HSI/Glover |
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Some 7th graders decided to take a unique approach when they found out about the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet. Kristen Kullberg, a teacher at Washington DC's Sacred Heart School, was so moved by Rebecca Aldworth's account of witnessing the beginning of the seal hunt that she wanted to share it with her class.
After a long morning of standardized testing, Ms. Kullberg had her kids copy ten words off of the board: carnage, slaughter, macabre, vessels, sealer, quota, aftermath, allotted, salvation, and carcass.
"I told them that I would be reading them a scary, gruesome tale," Kullberg said.
She had them do a guess-and-match-up activity where they had to match the words to their definitions. They discussed the tone of the words and the mood that they conveyed. The class was excited and attentive because they knew they'd be hearing a horror story with their new words in it.
She slowly read them Rebecca's story. "They were all shocked (for one thing, to learn the 'story' was true), and for the first time in forever were sooo quiet that I could hear a pin drop," Kullberg said.
After she finished reading, about 15 hands shot up into the air. "The kids had so many questions about why people would do such a horrible thing, and if it was true that the seals were killed just for their fur."
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| The kids call this their "Hope quilt," in the hopes that Canada's cruel baby seal slaughter is over soon. © Kullberg |
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Remaining neutral and playing devil's advocate, Kullberg observed her pupils, who were in disbelief, angry, and appalled that humans could do such a thing. "I asked them when they thought the article had been written, and they were shocked to learn it was yesterday.
Then they all looked at the board—where 'today's date' is listed—and they had this ah-ha moment of, 'Oh my God … the hunt's happening again today?' They wanted to jump into action."
So the 7th grade class worked together to cut up squares of paper, decorate them with hopeful messages to The HSUS, and tape them back together again.
The kids are calling it their "Hope Quilt". They hope that the killing will stop and that The HSUS will make their dreams a reality.
One student wrote "Thank you for helping out animals. We appreciate all your hard work." Another wrote "Thank you Humane Society for saving the very cute seals."
Ms. Kullberg included a note saying "We want to express our immense gratitude to The HSUS for your involvement in the battle against the seal slaughter. You are truly an inspiration for my students, and for that, I thank you."
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| Canada's commerial baby seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet.© HSI |
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Back at headquarters, The HSUS ProtectSeals team is planning on framing the quilt and mounting it on their wall.
Today the last phases of Canada's commercial seal kill wear on, but fewer and fewer sealers are heading out to club baby seals because pelt prices have dropped so low due to international opposition to the hunt. One day the kids' dream of ending this cruel slaughter will become a reality, and that day is not far off.
