Seal hunt in Canada

[TheNorm]

The annual seal hunt in Canada is due to start tomorrow. The hunters, who are a hard working bunch, will no doubt me made out to be the "bad guys". I wonder why, and also wonder:

- Why is it wrong to kill a seal pup, but OK to kill a spring lamb?
- Why is wrong to kill an animal for its fur?
- Why is it wrong to hunt an animal in the wild but OK to slaughter animals?

Baby seals of course are cute animals. If they were ugly would the hunt go unmentioned?

Should governments be taking action?

The European Union is considering taking measures against Canada over its annual seal hunt.....
Belgium and the Netherlands have already taken this step, and the United States has banned Canadian seal products since 1972....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7314903.stm

Or should pressure be put on the people who use baby seal products? After all, if there was no demand, there would be no seal hunt.

[papa smurf]

i've watched part of a cull on tv ,it was sickening , the pups are clubed to death the club had a spike on it to smash into there sculls , not very nice i had to stop watching .

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by papa smurf

i've watched part of a cull on tv ...

I saw a few episodes of "Kill It, Cook It, Eat It" on the BBC, where they showed how animals are slaughtered in Britain. It wasn't a pretty site, but death was quick.

The baby seals die instantly, apparently.

[homealone]

Originally Posted by TheNorm

The annual seal hunt in Canada is due to start tomorrow. The hunters, who are a hard working bunch, will no doubt me made out to be the "bad guys". I wonder why, and also wonder:

- Why is it wrong to kill a seal pup, but OK to kill a spring lamb?

spring lamb are raised so we can eat them, seals are still 'wild' creatures.

Originally Posted by TheNorm

- Why is wrong to kill an animal for its fur?

It isn't - well until it gets to be a commercial enterprise, rather than a survival/lifestyle option, anyway

Originally Posted by TheNorm

- Why is it wrong to hunt an animal in the wild but OK to slaughter animals?

Baby seals of course are cute animals. If they were ugly would the hunt go unmentioned?

Should governments be taking action?


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7314903.stm

Or should pressure be put on the people who use baby seal products? After all, if there was no demand, there would be no seal hunt.

One other reason for the seal cull is that the seals eat fish - fish which can be a significant provider of employment and income for the local residents.....

Ok it is still an argument for money versus the sanctity of life - but done properly can a cull achieve a balance, in that humans, seals - and fish, all get to survive?

Also seal excrement can perpetuate the life-cycle of parasitic worms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Anisakiasis_01.png

- don't get me wrong, I don't encourage what is done to the seal population in Canada, but I can see why it might have to be done, within reason, to maintain a balance ????

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by homealone

...Also seal excrement can perpetuate the life-cycle of parasitic worms ...

Interesting! You learn something new every day!!

- don't get me wrong, I don't encourage what is done to the seal population in Canada, but I can see why it might have to be done, within reason, to maintain a balance ????

Hmmm, you seem to be sitting on the fence.

The economic reasons must take priority, surely. Interestingly, seals and mink seem to be related:

Unfortunately there has been a severe downturn in the prices for sealskins on the world market. There are many factors for this downturn, the main factor, as far as we can see, is the sharp increase in the world supply of mink. This increase in supply was followed by a decrease in prices.

http://www.harpseals.org/hunt/press/...sdrop2007.html

[homealone]

Originally Posted by TheNorm

Hmmm, you seem to be sitting on the fence.

The economic reasons must take priority, surely. Interestingly, seals and mink seem to be related:



http://www.harpseals.org/hunt/press/...sdrop2007.html

I am 'sitting on the fence', yes, I may have an undisclosed interest which could bias my posts, so I am trying hard to be neutral - interesting minklink, btw

[Sirius]

This is the same to me as someone supporting the idea of ripping a fox to pieces with a pack of baying hounds and a bunch of blood thirsty cretins watching it happen.

Its just the same in my eye's

[scuzz]

It's the issue of seal "products" that bothers me - which leads back to the cull/hunt issue too.
Which is it? Hunt or cull? Why are they being killed? Does anyone need thier coat for warmth or their flesh for food? I don't think I want to know the answer

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by Sirius

This is the same to me as someone supporting the idea of ripping a fox to pieces with a pack of baying hounds and a bunch of blood thirsty cretins watching it happen.

Its just the same in my eye's

So, is it the bloodiness that puts you off? If the baby seals were killed in the same way as spring lambs, would you be OK with it?

Originally Posted by scuzz

...Which is it? Hunt or cull? ...

I think "cull" implies that the numbers are being reduced because there are too many - for example, the cull of deer in parks. However, the word "hunt" seems to be wrong, too - it isn't exactly in the same league as tiger hunting, is it!

I heard one of the Canadians describe the process as "harvesting", which is probably more accurate.

[RizzyKing]

While it is not a nice thing to have happen every year i am sure there are for the canadians at least sound reasons for doing it. As long as i eat any sort of meat i think i would be a hypocrite to criticise anyone that kills animals and they do assure people the seals do not suffer. End of the day as with so many other things in the world we don't really have a right to comment on what another group of people do while sitting in the UK watching\reading about it. Besides which i really don't see them giving a stuff how much heart rending goes on elsewhere in the world over this.

[PeteTheMusicGuy]

I'd rather club a few Chavs instead

[The Hitman]

My wife is standing by our bedroom door. She has a big massive machette and on old metal dustbin lid as a sheild . She is protecting our doggy looking seal Sasha. So if any of those big french canadian lumberjacks.Wanna be seal clubbers come our way. They had better watch out

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by RizzyKing

.... As long as i eat any sort of meat i think i would be a hypocrite to criticise anyone that kills animals ....

Well said.

[PeteTheMusicGuy]

Originally Posted by The Hitman

My wife is standing by our bedroom door. She has a big massive machette and on old metal dustbin lid as a sheild . She is protecting our doggy looking seal Sasha. So if any of those big french canadian lumberjacks.Wanna be seal clubbers come our way. They had better watch out

Does she want to borrow my shotgun

[injuneer]

Originally Posted by homealone

spring lamb are raised so we can eat them, seals are still 'wild' creatures.



It isn't - well until it gets to be a commercial enterprise, rather than a survival/lifestyle option, anyway



One other reason for the seal cull is that the seals eat fish - fish which can be a significant provider of employment and income for the local residents.....

Ok it is still an argument for money versus the sanctity of life - but done properly can a cull achieve a balance, in that humans, seals - and fish, all get to survive?

Also seal excrement can perpetuate the life-cycle of parasitic worms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Anisakiasis_01.png

- don't get me wrong, I don't encourage what is done to the seal population in Canada, but I can see why it might have to be done, within reason, to maintain a balance ????

I was wondering why mankind thinks it is qualified to maintain a balance, after all we seem to excel in upsetting most of of the natural balances in the world. Still, once we've hunted all the fish stocks to extinction the Seals won't be a problem.

Agent Smith: I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure.