Canadian Seal Pelts Imported by Hong Kong

[Guest guest]

Hello Everyone,

 

I am a Canadian vehemently opposed to the Canadian seal hunt and I am writing

to ask you all to please sign a petition to ban the horrific slaughter of seals

off the east coast of Canada. I have posted the link below. This is a petition

addressed to the new Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, which calls upon

him to end the horrific slaughter of seals, many of which are mere babies (12

days old) and at least 40% skinned alive. You may not think that this issue is

of relevance to Asian animal issues but it is becoming relevant very quickly.

Statistics show that there has been a very dramatic increase in Canadian seal

pelts imported into Hong Kong in the past four years. The statistics (taken

from Industry Canada, a Canadian government site) show that in 2002 155 pelts

were imported into Hong Kong. In 2004 this number increased to 80,521 and in

2005, 380,338. I have posted a link below showing these stats. The hunt

itself, which many thought had been stopped was

never completely stopped, just diminished, but was revived with a vengeance in

1995 with the government blaming the seals for the decline in cod stocks off of

Newfoundland. The " hunt " (not a hunt at all in the classic sense) is a

slaughter of completely helpless seals who are so young that they have not even

had their first solid meal. Nor do they know how to swim so they have

absolutely no chance of getting away from these " men " . They are slaughtered

with unbearable brutality in the name of " culture " and " tradition " . Haven't we

all heard that before? As individuals they do not make much money at it.

 

A group of European and North American animal rights/welfare/humane groups

have formed a kind of coalition to shut this slaughter down permanently, among

them, the Humane Society of the United States, Sea Shepherd Conservation

Society, IFAW, and others.

 

From a fur standpoint, victory here would be a huge victory against the fur

industry in general. Taken with all the other initiatives going on in Asia and

in other parts of the world the shutdown of this brutal hunt would enhance the

activities of other humane groups trying to close down the dog and cat fur

industry in Asia.

 

Could you all please take a look at the links, review the video footage

(beware - very graphic), sign the petition and then please forward to friends

and family, etc.

 

Thank you all so much for everything that you do.

 

Kindest Regards

Barbara Lamb

 

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/566342047?ltl=1145067583

 

http://www.harpseals.org/hunt/pelts.html

 

http://www.harpseals.org/hunt/index.html

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hello Everyone,

 

Just a correction re my last email - the numbers quoted do not represent the

number of seal pelts imported into Hong Kong but rather value of pelts exported

to Hong Kong in Canadian dollars. Sorry for any confusion.

 

Barbara

 

Note: forwarded message attached.