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March
25, 2008 Safer Fate for Seals As we leave Newfoundland—bringing the observation of the 2008 seal hunt to a close—I think forward to a time when this is all over. When the skin of a baby seal has no value on the international market, and the Canadian government has finally ended the seal hunt. I imagine coming back here—anonymous again amongst the people of the East Coast of Canada.
I’ll charter a helicopter for a few hours on a still and sunny day, and fly out to sea. We’ll land on a pristine ice floe, and I'll walk across to where the seals are, spellbound as always by the brilliant colors reflected around me. Fat, silvery baby seals will look up at me trustingly, their luminous eyes full of curiosity. I’ll lie down on the ice and slowly move into the group—a temporary guest in their nursery. The pups will touch noses, moving quietly around me. Soon they will begin to fall asleep. For awhile, I’ll lie there with them, knowing that peace has been restored to the ice. And then I’ll apologize to the baby seals, tears streaming down my face. For all the seals I saw brutalized and killed and did not intervene because the law prevented it. For all the suffering I bore witness to helplessly. For not being able to end it faster. But these seal pups won’t know what happened here. They will live their lives as they were meant to, sleeping in their nursery, taking turns splashing in shallow pools on the ice. Becoming more and more confident until they finally slip into the ocean and silently swim away. I wonder if the images of the slaughter will slowly start to fade, if time will make the suffering of these seals somehow seem more distant. But I know that will not happen. There are some things that can never and should never be forgotten. So instead I’ll hope the pain of the past can serve as a lesson for the future.
Coming back to the present, I know that our battle to reach that day—when the hunt is over for good—is at its most critical. This year, sealskin prices are so low that most sealers are saying it is not worth their while to participate in the hunt. In the Front, less than 100 sealing vessels have hailed out—down from 700 in previous years. Just the thought of an EU ban on seal products has been enough to stop the majority of sealers from hunting this year. Then days ago, the European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas confirmed he will propose a ban on seal products originating from inhumane hunts. Back in Canada, the ProtectSeals team rejoiced. Because if the EU adopts such a ban, seal products from Canada will never again be traded in the EU. Our observation out here has been difficult, but we have gathered the evidence we need to prove that Canada's commercial seal hunt remains every bit as cruel as it has always been. That evidence will be provided directly to the European Commission and Parliament. And we have more good news from the United States, with more major grocery chains and restaurants joining the boycott of Canadian seafood products. Because of this economic pressure, Canadian fishermen are fast realizing they are losing more from hunting seals than they can ever hope to gain. Thank you for standing with us and bearing witness to the 2008 commercial seal hunt. We are so close to stopping this cruelty—with your support, we’ll make it the last slaughter of baby seals in Canada. Until It's Over by
Rebecca Aldworth For me, the 2008 seal hunt comes down to three young seal pups huddled together on an ice pan. They lay together, fat and happy in the sun. Without warning, bullets ripped across the ice, striking two of them. One was shot but not killed, and she began to writhe in agony, lifting her head. Another was shot and—still conscious—she slipped into the ocean, where she thrashed around as the blood poured from her. It took a lifetime for the small boat with two sealers on it to arrive. They finally got close enough for one of the sealers to get out on the ice. He ran over to the wounded pup, clubbed her on the head, then tossed her onto a pile of dead seals in the boat like garbage. She was quickly sliced open and skinned, her carcass cut out and thrown over the side of the boat. The wounded seal in the water was still thrashing around, blood coloring everything around her. A sealer leaned over the side of the boat, stabbed her through the flipper with a metal hook, and dragged her close to the boat. Then he reached down and grabbed her by the flipper, hauled her onto the boat and tossed her onto the pile of dead seals. She was likely still conscious, but he didn't check, and he didn't club her to finish her off. Instead, he flipped her over and cut her from top to bottom. But for me, the 2008 seal hunt is also about the third seal, the lucky one who got away. He slipped into the water as the bullets flew by, and swam off as fast as he could. He was spared, just like thousands more who will not be killed this year because global markets for seal products are closing. Because prices for the skin of a baby seal have fallen dramatically, and many sealers are choosing to stay home this year instead of heading for the ice floes. The manager from a top sealskin processor in Canada explained that buyers have been mindful of a potential EU ban on seal products when setting the low prices this year. Just the potential for an EU ban has brought the prices down low enough to stop two thirds of the sealing vessels from leaving port. If the EU goes through with the ban, millions of animals will be spared a horrible fate. Our campaign is working. But while this hunt goes on, we will be here. Bearing witness to this cruel slaughter, gathering evidence to shut this hunt down for good. Undeniably
Inhumane 10:10 A.M. Words cannot describe the cruelty I witnessed yesterday. As I write this, I am finding it hard to see through tears. The boats were everywhere. Sealers clubbed and shot helpless baby seals, every one in sight. We filmed one boat and noticed a sealer at the front of the vessel holding a rifle. We quickly zoomed ahead to see which seal he was aiming at. As we looked through the monitor, we saw the pup about 50 meters in front of the boat. She raised her head as if sensing danger, when suddenly a bullet slammed into her side. She cried and cried—clearly in agony—and blood spilled onto the ice. Finally, the sealer arrived. The pup looked up pitifully, as though she hoped this person could offer help. But instead, he clubbed her once on the head and—without testing to see if she was unconscious—stabbed her through the jaw with a metal hook and dragged her across the ice. She was just one month old. Above in our helicopter, we watched in horror. There was blood all across the ice. Trails of it leading back to the boats, massive bloody pools of it the only remains of slaughtered baby seals. In some areas, the ocean near the boats turned red, clearly visible from 1000 feet in the air. The sealers did not want us to film them abandoning the carcasses—so just as they did last year, they brought them on board the boats. We filmed stockpiles of hundreds of dead seals on the decks, which were awash in blood.
Whenever the sealers thought we were too far to film, they tossed the red, skinned bodies over the side. The Canadian government has made a concerted effort to convince European decision-makers that this hunt is now somehow humane. But their carefully crafted PR lines cannot refute the evidence we gathered today. Any human being who watches our footage will understand this slaughter simply has to end—and those who cash in by promoting it should be deeply ashamed. I grew up in this province, and it has been difficult at times to take the stand I do. But there is a line between right and wrong, and it becomes crystal clear when you observe the slaughter of defenseless seal pups.
I remember a pilot I worked with a few years ago, who was born in Newfoundland and raised in a fishing community. He reluctantly agreed to fly for us, and he made it clear that he was strongly in favor of the seal hunt. It took one day of filming the slaughter for him to change his mind.
Brutal
Scene Posted April 11, 10:30 P.M. The ProtectSeals team flew through heavy fog, high winds and blowing snow to reach the sealing vessels. Eleven were still trapped in the ice floes, a Coast Guard icebreaker nearby attempting to cut a path for them. For a moment we dared to hope the seals were still safe.
But farther north, we found more boats working their way through the ice, killing every seal pup in their wake. As we passed one large red vessel, we saw sealers jump off the side onto the ice. They ran towards a single live seal pup, hakapiks in hand. The pup, sensing danger, tried desperately to crawl towards the edge of the water. But the two men bearing down on her were faster. One sealer struck her on the side, then twice again on the head. He grabbed her hind flippers and pulled her back across the ice, stopping to club her twice more. He grabbed her front flipper and turned her over. But then the second sealer kicked the wounded pup with his boot. Seeing a reaction, he motioned to the first sealer, who clubbed her four more times on the head. Not to be outdone, the second sealer grabbed his hakapik and clubbed the baby seal once more. He flipped her over and began to cut her open—only to roll her back over so the first sealer could club her three more times. This poor baby seal was clubbed 13 times in total. The sealers finally sliced open the pup, then dragged her the long distance back the boat. On board the vessel, they cut out her carcass and threw it overboard. We watched miserably from our helicopters, helpless to do anything to stop her suffering. This was
a brutal scene—and one that I have witnessed too many times in
the ten years I have been out here documenting the slaughter. Tomorrow,
we go back to document the second day of the hunt for seals in the Northern
Gulf of St. Lawrence. Please stand with us as we gather the evidence
we need to shut this brutal slaughter down forever. No
Escape for Seal Pups 10:30 P.M. The ProtectSeals team flew through heavy fog, high winds and blowing snow to reach the sealing vessels. Eleven were still trapped in the ice floes—a Coast Guard icebreaker nearby attempting to cut a path for them. For a moment we dared to hope the seals were still safe. But farther north, we found more boats working their way through the ice, killing every seal pup in their wake. As we passed one large red vessel, we saw sealers jump off the side onto the ice. They ran towards a single live seal pup, hakapiks in hand. The pup, sensing danger, tried desperately to crawl towards the edge of the water. But the two men bearing down on her were faster. One sealer struck her on the side, then twice again on the head. He grabbed her hind flippers and pulled her back across the ice, stopping to club her twice more. He grabbed her front flipper and turned her over. But then the second sealer kicked the wounded pup with his boot. Seeing a reaction, he motioned to the first sealer, who clubbed her four more times on the head. Not to be outdone, the second sealer grabbed his hakapik and clubbed the baby seal once more. He flipped her over and began to cut her open—only to roll her back over so the first sealer could club her three more times. This poor baby seal was clubbed thirteen times in total. The sealers finally sliced open the pup, then dragged her the long distance back the boat. On board the vessel, they cut out her carcass and threw it overboard. We watched miserably from our helicopters, helpless to do anything to stop her suffering. This was a brutal scene—and one that I have witnessed too many times in the ten years I have been out here documenting the slaughter. Tomorrow, we go back to document the second day of the hunt for seals in the Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Please stand with us as we gather the evidence we need to shut this brutal slaughter down forever. Searching for Ships 10:35 A.M. Yesterday afternoon we flew over the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence in search of sealing boats. To be in position to kill seals this morning, they had to move from their ports, through the ice.
As our spotter plane moved over the western coast of Newfoundland, we saw nothing but open water. Last year, the ice at this time was abundant up here. But this year, there is so little. We flew for nearly an hour before we saw it—a small dot on the horizon and a thin strip of white of ice in the distance.
About an hour later, we saw some seals, blissfully unaware of the boats bearing down on them. It is heartbreaking to know that right now, the sealing vessels have likely reached those pups. This morning we are very frustrated. The weather has turned bad, and freezing rain and fog may keep our helicopter from the hunt area. But it will not stop the sealers from killing baby seals. We have to try to get out there, and in half an hour our helicopter will leave for the hunt area. If we can get through the bad weather, we will document the brutality that will happen on the ice floes today. The
Slaughter Continues Posted 5:40 A.M. The merciless slaughter of baby seals continued yesterday in the Cabot Strait, with countless pups cruelly clubbed to death for their skins. We flew toward where the sealing boats were killing every seal pup in their path.
Miles away from them, we saw the grim evidence of their activity over the morning—ice floes, one after the other, stained red with blood. In its ongoing effort to block documentation of the hunt, the Canadian government authorized only one of our helicopters to film the hunt, preventing journalists and animal protection groups from reaching the scene of the slaughter. We stayed away so that at least some reporters could film the killing. And the photographs they brought back stopped me cold. We landed outside the hunt zone in an area where the ice was so solid the sealing boats could not break their way through to the pups. It was one of those magical scenes that can sometimes occur close to the carnage—baby seals just about three weeks old, lying next to each other on a pristine floe. Our group fell silent as we watched these beautiful animals interact with each other. One of our team had never been on the ice before, and she said it was the best day of her life. But miles away, the sealing vessels loomed ominously, a reminder of the horror to come. And the thought of what awaits these defenseless pups is unbearable. Thankfully, the slaughter closes today for the Maritimes vessels, which have reached their quota. But the killing will dramatically intensify in the coming days as the Newfoundland hunters come into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Then, they will club and shoot every seal pup they find. The Canadian government has done everything in its power to stop us from documenting the seal hunt so far. But it has failed. We'll be here, ready to bear witness as the slaughter continues. Now
is the time In any huntwatch expedition, there are seemingly insurmountable obstacles to overcome. Each day we try to document the slaughter, the Canadian government comes up with new tactics to cover up the cruelty. Today's ploy was to award observation permits to only one of our helicopters.
I doubt it is any coincidence that this move followed our documentation yesterday, which showed sealers consistently violating the few regulations that exist to protect seals.
But it won't work. While this hunt goes on, we will be here to document it. I want to thank every HSUS member for standing with us as we work to save the seals. It is your support that allows us to be here right now, and never has there been a more important time for us to bear witness to the commercial seal hunt. With your help, we will shut down the killing of defenseless baby seals forever. Today I saw defenseless baby seals slaughtered without mercy on Canada’s ice floes. It is with a very heavy heart that I write this, following eight unbearable hours of bearing witness to the slaughter. I understand why the Canadian government has fought so hard to stop us from observing the hunt this year…While the my government is busy telling the world that this year’s slaughter will somehow be more humane, we have proved today it is the same hunt we have always filmed.
This is my 10th year bearing witness to Canada’s commercial seal hunt, and nothing has changed—the killing is every bit as cruel as it has ever been. I did not see one sealer follow the supposedly new 3-step killing process, and many sealers failed to even check to see if seals were dead prior to impaling them on metal hooks and dragging them across the ice floes. I watched helplessly from above as one by one, the seals were brutally clubbed, stabbed with hooks and dragged across the ice as they struggled. There are few words to describe how hard it was to see the same pups we filmed just days ago meet such a barbaric end. Nigel Barker and his film crew were also at the hunt today. Nigel’s words capture so well all of our thoughts at the end of this terrible day. He said, “I witnessed with my own eyes, my own camera and my own video crew blatant violations of the rules and regulations by sealers. Several weeks ago, I documented the birth of the seal pups or ‘white coats,’ and, earlier this week, photographed the beautiful silver, speckled two-week-olds, and today the mass killing of every young seal in sight in the most brutal and barbaric fashion. I will never forget what I have seen and will never stop until it ends.”
But even as we filmed the killing of the seals, we thought of other deaths. Today’s tragedy of three sealers drowning—and one still missing—when their boat capsized in the hazardous ice was just another reason why Canada’s commercial seal hunt should be ended for good. Each year, sealing vessels are ruined by the treacherous ice, sealers are injured—and some even die. In many ways, the sealers are also victims of this brutal hunt. We call on the Canadian government to immediately take action to end this needless slaughter through a generous sealing license retirement program. A sealing industry buyout would not only save the seals, but it could save the sealers too. In the meantime, the European Commission holds in its power the ability to right an international wrong. By ending its trade in seal products, the EU can remove the financial incentive for these sealers to kill the pups. I can only hope that this year will be the last slaughter we will have to witness.
Unwanted
Observers Today's frustrating series of events proves to independent media and parliamentarians just how desperate the Canadian government is to cover up the cruelty of this slaughter. In coming here, The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International face seemingly insurmountable obstacles at times. From the efforts of the Canadian government to thwart observation, to the physical assaults by sealers on the ice floes, this is one of the most difficult events on Earth to film. But we will be here as the hunt opens again tomorrow. Our cameras will show the world what happens when seal hunters are allowed to club, shoot, cut open, and skin hundreds of thousands of baby seals for their fur. Please stand with us as we release our first videos and photographs from the hunt tomorrow. Today brings unbelievable news. Twelve sealing vessels have already left the Magdalen Islands, and many more are gearing up to go later today so they can be in position to kill baby seals when the hunt opens half an hour before dawn tomorrow. Yet at this time—less than 16 hours before the seal hunt will begin—the Canadian government is refusing to issue observation permits for tomorrow morning to anyone, including journalists.
They say that heavy ice is causing problems for the vessels, and they cannot guarantee the sealers will reach the seals by the time the hunt is opened. But as things stand right now, if the vessels do reach the seals—and there is a good chance they will—the hunt will go on without witnesses. Which is exactly what the Canadian government wants. Observation of the commercial seal hunt is guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And in the 10 years I have documented this slaughter, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has never refused to issue permits based on the idea that sealers “might not be sealing.” From where we stand, this is yet another desperate attempt on behalf of the DFO to block observation and documentation of the commercial seal hunt. Notably, even as the DFO is refusing to allow observers to document the seal hunt, Canadian media is reporting that yet another delegation of sealing industry lobbyists have been sent to Europe by the Canadian government to try to ensure the EU does not ban the seal product trade. The Canadian government has tried to tell the world the hunt is going to be more humane this year. The fact that they are already trying to stop journalists from filming it is a strong indication they know exactly how cruel this hunt will be.
To know that in just hours the pups we saw two days ago will be clubbed, shot, and skinned for their fur without witnesses is almost too much to bear.
The
Beginning of the End There are days on the ice floes that are so perfect, you almost can't believe they are real. Yesterday was one of those, and I'll remember it forever. In the past few weeks, the ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence has broken up, then frozen back together. The resulting landscape of the harp seal nursery is spectacular, with ice ridges and outcroppings everywhere.
We landed in an area off the coast of Cape Breton, where hundreds of seals awaited us. The pups were very young—some covered in white fur—others just starting to shed their white coats. Still more had entirely shed their white fur, revealing the silvery coat underneath. All looked up at us with their liquid black eyes. Nigel Barker and his team were with us photographing the baby seals, along with journalists from Europe, and Vera Weber, representing the Franz Weber Foundation in Switzerland. We walked from our helicopters to the pups, trying not to think about the fact that the hunt is rumored to begin in a few days time. I explained to everyone that if you lie on the ice quietly with the seals, look at them and blink your eyes repeatedly, the pups will mimic you—and often fall asleep. While everyone was busy taking their photos, I spotted two beautiful seal pups across the ice. I lay down a few feet from them and closed my eyes. They repeated the gesture. After doing this a few times, the seals were fast asleep. And so was I!
When I woke, the pups were huddled together just inches away from me. My two new friends woke as well, staring at me curiously. One slid across the ice to me, taking a moment to smell my face before he moved on. One of the most tragic things about the seal hunt is the advantage held by the sealers. Not only are these pups just days of age and utterly defenseless, but they are absolutely trusting of people. The sealers betray that trust in the worst possible way. I looked over across the ice, and saw one very young seal crawl up to Nigel's camera, staring at him in fascination as he took her photo. It never ceases to amaze me how charismatic these newborn seals are—and how utterly peaceful the ice floes can be. One European journalist came up and said how spectacular the environment was, that he wanted to stay for the entire day. He believes many Europeans would want to visit this place. As we flew back—so moved and motivated by the visit—Vera Weber mentioned that the hat she was wearing had been worn by her father 31 years ago when he came to Canada to bear witness to the commercial seal hunt.
I was reminded that this campaign has been waged all over the world for more than four decades, and that we are following in the footsteps of some very compassionate and brave people. We landed at our hangar, and my phone began to ring immediately. The HSUS had just received the news—the hunt would begin at dawn on March 28. The news hit me like a physical blow. These same pups we had just spent a beautiful day with are directly in the path of the sealing boats. They will not survive this hunt. This morning brought more bad news. At noon today, the sealing vessels left the Magdalen Islands for the slaughter. Please help us stop this hunt once and for all. To learn more, watch my video journal below, and click here to help seals. Heartbreak
and Hope as the Hunt Looms Yesterday, we returned to the harp seal nursery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence—our final visit before we bear witness to the horrific slaughter that is about to take place in just a few short days. We lay on the ice with four small pups, two of them almost entirely covered in white fur. In the background, the stark landscape of Cape Breton sets off the brilliant ice. One pup—molting her white coat—tries to scratch her back by wriggling around across the ice. She ends up just feet away, gazing up at us sweetly. She is completely unaware that just a few miles away in the Magdalen Islands harbor, sealing boats are lined up, ready to depart for the hunt. In days, the mechanical roar of their engines will overtake the silence of the ice, and their decks will be awash in blood. Our hearts were heavy as we stared into the pups’ innocent faces.
Very soon, their beautiful icy home will be transformed into an open air slaughterhouse and—despite our best efforts—we have not stopped it from going forward. I find myself apologizing to pups, knowing my words are meaningless in the face of the suffering they will endure. But there is also hope—perhaps more this year than any before. Hope because there is a strong chance the European Union may ban seal products, and American seafood distributors are joining our boycott of Canadian seafood products. With odds against them mounting, the sealers are now saying that hunting seals may cost them more than it is worth. Please stand with us as we bear witness to this hunt. Click here for daily updates and images from the slaughter. We cannot end this hunt without you. Please be a part of our expedition to save the seals. Rebecca Aldworth's journal, reprinted with kind permission from HSUS |
(photo:
HSUS)
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