The end may be in sight for Harp Seals

A glimmer of hope shines for Canadian Harp Seals as it seems the end of the commercial seal slaughter in Canada is in sight.  

Due to the public outcry and years of campaigning, global demand for seal products has dramatically reduced and become almost obsolete.  This means that around 300,000 baby Harp Seals were saved this year and in the past four years over one million have been spared. (Figures taken from HSUS)

Even more good news is that Canadian Senator Mac Harb, last month, introduced legislation in the Canadian Senate to end the commercial slaughter and the bill was unanimously approved to pass for second reading.

Before we get too comfortable we must remember that Harp Seals are still being slaughtered, this year the Canadian government authorised sealers to club and shoot 400,000 seals.  

Mac Harb's critical legislation is still up for debate so we need to convince the Canadian Senate to support this lifesaving bill and end the horrendously cruel seal slaughter for good.  Please spare a moment to click here and show your support.

Thank you Russia, on behalf of the Harp Seals

The Canadian seal slaughter will begin in a matter of weeks.  However, there is some good news... the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Belarus recently passed a historic ban on the trade of harp seal fur which is the main product of the seal slaughter.  Russia was a primary market for seal products and an order for 100,000 baby seal skins has been cancelled!  The drop in demand means we are a step closer to ending the annual seal slaughter for good.

Unfortunately, the Canadian government vows to reverse the ban through diplomatic pressure which leaves hundreds of thousands of baby seals at risk of being shot or clubbed to death.

This means the future of the ban hangs in the balance and it is vital that we commend the leaders in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus for enforcing the ban and asking them not to give into pressure from the Canadian government.  Please click here and spend a moment adding your details to the readily prepared correspondence.

If you have time, please click here and add your details in order to contact the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper and ask him to call of this years cull.


Finally, it will only take a minute to add your name to PETA's petition here.

Source: Humane Society International

Image Source: The Guardian

Canada's commercial seal hunt has started.

Source.

The commercial harp seal hunt in Canada has now begun.  The government have approved the slaughter of 400,000 baby seals.  

The Canadian government are still fighting the EU ban on seal products and challenging the rights of other countries saying "no" to seal products.

Please spare a moment to click here in order to inform Prime Minister Stephen Harper that you will defend your right to say "no" to cruelty and ask him to listen to people throughout the world and end the seal hunt.

One Minute Action for Seals

Source.

One of the things that I am most disappointed in about not having time to blog over the past few months has been that I haven't been able to share all the news with you about this years Canadian Seal Cull.  I have been inundated with campaign news about this yearly abhorrance but just have not had chance to do anything with it.  I have signed the petitions and sent the e-mails myself but it isn't the same if you aren't here to help!

It isn't too late though and if you can spare just one minute to sign this petition it would be lovely.

The petition is addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the hope of urging him to protect, not slaughter the beautiful wild seals of Canada.  

Don't forget to let your friends know too.

Thank you.

Sable Island Seals

 

 Source.

A proposal prepared for the Government of Canada has recently been brought to light, the proposal being 220,000 grey seals killed and incinerated in their protected Sable Island nursery.  If this were to go ahead it would run at birthing time each year for about five years.  At the moment this is just a proposal so please sign this petition to urge the Canadian government to reject this and spare the Sable Island's grey seal population from slaughter ensuring that their island remains a protected habitat for seals.

Canada's Seal Slaughter

On April 13^th Canada’s annual seal cull began to wind down, despite record low ice cover and dwindling support, this years hunt went ahead with a higher quota than previous years. Thousands of seal pups have been brutally killed despite the Canadian governments declarations that the slaughter will be humane.

In 11 months time the slaughter will begin again, this gives us 11 months to work together and stop this once and for all.

There is good news… Last week Peta informed me that despite increasing the allowable catch of harp seals by cull to be scaled back and close early. This proves that tireless work from Animal Welfare Organisations such as Peta, Humane Society of the United States, Respect for Animals and IFAW really is paying off.

It is vital that we keep pressurising Canada to stop the seal cull for good.

Depending on where in the world you live you can do something important to help.

If you live in the EU

Simply enter your details and when you get to the “State” box just select “none”.

If you live in Canada

Your role is very important as you have more of a say than anyone from another country, please do what you can as it will really make a difference. There are several things you can do here and I promise it won’t take you very long at all.

If you live in the USA

Also, please can you complete this pledge and send it to the address at the bottom of the page?

If you have some extra time have a look here at what else you can do to help.

Resources and Futher Information from the HSUS and HSIC.

Pocket Guide to Boycotting Canadian Seafood

More Information

Fast Facts

Myths and Facts

Seals and Fisheries

Economics of the Seal Slaughter

Why the Canadian Government Supports the Seal Slaughter

I’m sorry for the information overload but this should give you everything you need to know about the seal cull and hopefully inspire you to take action.

Hello world!

My name is Helen and for quite some time now I have been contemplating creating a blog with a view to helping animals. Right now, I know very little about creating a blog so I am going to learn as I go along ~ please be patient!

"But how can a blog actually help animals?" 

I hear you cry.  Well, that all depends on you - here's how;

Every week I am inundated with e-mails from organisations such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), The League Against Cruel Sports, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) to name but a few. They tell me what is going on in the world with respect to animals and ask me to do things like write to my MP and ask them to consider supporting the Fox Hunting Ban, or sign a petition asking the Canadian Prime Minister to consider abolishing the Seal Cull. I happily follow the link they provide, fill in my details then click on send hoping that the few minutes I have spent will actually make a difference.  The thing is, I want to do more. At the moment the only thing I can think of doing to help that doesn't involve travelling to Canada and throwing myself in front of a Seal Hunter (I have every intention of actually doing this if the Seal Cull continues) is to try and convince more people to join me in sparing a few minutes helping animals. 

I sometimes have e-mails asking me to donate to causes but unfortunately I can't afford to do this as much as I'd like to, this blog isn't for the purpose of asking you to donate either.

How do I know I make a difference? 

I don't think I make much of a difference alone, but I do think that a lot of people doing something whether it be signing a petition or writing a letter can make a big difference.  An example is something that happened recently, PETA sent out an e-mail to ask for help with stopping the construction of a proposed large-scale intensive dairy farm (battery farm for cows) in which 8,000 cows would be subjected to cruel conditions, confined to tiny stalls without access to grass or sunshine and at risk of disease.  I was asked to write to the Planning Office voicing my opposition.  PETA provided what to write and gave me all relevant links, all I needed to do was add my name and e-mail address and click send.  I happily did this and so did many, many others.  A few days later I received an e-mail from the Planning Office thanking me for my comments and informing me that the planning permission request for the intensive dairy farm has been withdrawn!  All because so many of us gave the animals a voice.  

In order to try and make this blog as interesting as possible I am also going to post lots of animal related news, pictures and stories. It would be lovely if you could keep reading and tell your friends as well, animals all over the world need our help and even the smallest thing can make a difference. I can't do this on my own and would really, really value your support.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” ~ Mahatma Gandhi