BOSTON – The Humane Society of the United States, the World Society for the Protection of Animals, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston will join animal protection and environmental groups around the world today holding demonstrations to protest Canada's annual seal hunt. Events are scheduled in Canada, the United States, Africa, and Europe. The groups are gathering in front of Canadian embassies and consulates to protest the cruel and needless slaughter of harp and hooded seals in Canada. A demonstration will take place locally in Boston:
Copley Square at the corner of Dartmouth and Boylston Streets, one block from the Consulate General of Canada
Wednesday, March 15, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
"By continuing this inhumane slaughter of seals, Canada is not acting sensibly or responsibly," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. "The modest profits from sealing are offset by massive losses in seafood exports and a terrible and indelible stain on Canada's reputation."
According to WSPA Campaigns Manager Susan Sherwin, "Boston is a pivotal city in the fight against the seal hunt. The majority of Canadian seafood exports come through New England. Boston can send a strong message on March 15: If the Canadian Government allows the brutal seal hunts to continue, its seafood export industry certainly will be affected."
"The Canadian seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals in the world," said Cheryl Jacobson, Living With Wildlife Program Coordinator for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "I have documented this hunt for over 5 years and witnessed the cruelty involved first hand such as skinning and/or hooking seals alive. This hunt is cruel, poorly monitored, ecologically unsustainable and financially unsound. It is time for the Canadian government to end this slaughter."
Polling shows the majority of Canadians, Americans and Europeans want the commercial seal hunt ended for good, and governments around the world are taking action. Italy and Mexico are just the latest countries to take action to end their trade in Canadian seal products, and the Greenland government announced earlier this year that it would stop the imports of Canadian sealskins, just 23 hours after The HSUS' 2005 seal hunt footage was broadcast on national television. These countries are joined by four European nations, including the United Kingdom, currently working to ban the trade in all seal products.
The hunt kicks into high gear later in March as sealers take to the ice wielding clubs, hakapiks, and guns clubbing and shooting to death seals just days or weeks of age. The HSUS will be on the ice floes documenting the slaughter on film. For more information, please visit www.ProtectSeals.org.
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy, and field work. The non-profit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country. On the web at hsus.org.
The MSPCA-Angell is a national and international leader in animal protection and veterinary medicine. Founded in 1868, it is the second-oldest humane society in the United States. Services include animal protection and adoption, advocacy, humane education, law enforcement and the highest-quality veterinary care available anywhere in the world. The MSPCA-Angell provides direct hands-on care for more than 250,000 animals each year through its seven Animal Care and Adoption Centers and three world-class Angell Animal Medical Centers. For more information, visit www.mspca.org.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) is the world's largest federation of animal welfarists, with a growing network of over 600 member societies in more than 130 countries. WSPA has 13 offices worldwide and reaches tens of millions of people around the globe. With consultative status at both the United Nations and the Council of Europe, WSPA is building a united global animal welfare movement to further our vision of a world where animal welfare matters and animal cruelty ends. Visit us on the web at www.wspa-international.org.
