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Stop Canada's Cruel and Senseless Seal Hunt!

Target: The Canadian Parliament
Sponsored by: International Fund for Animal Welfare

Nearly 1 million baby seals will be clubbed or shot to death in Canada in just three years. Shockingly, the hunt is subsidized by the Canadian government!

Every winter, Northwest Atlantic harp seals migrate to Eastern Canada to give birth and mate. Following their birth in late winter, mothers leave in search of mates, while the pups remain helpless and vulnerable on the ice until they can swim and catch their own food. Its during this time when they are most vulnerable that they are mercilessly slaughtered for their pelts!

Hunters armed with clubs and rifles will bludgeon to death hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals. About 96% of the seals killed will be less than three months old and more than 40% may be skinned alive!

Canada's seal hunt is the largest deliberate slaughter of marine mammals in the world. But the killing of baby seals doesn't make sense economically or ecologically, nor is it sustainable. It's simply a tragic slaughter of defenseless animals that benefits a small minority of boat captains armed with big ships, snowmobiles and even personal helicopters. This isn't about small town survival or tradition, it's an industrial killing machine for profit.

But Canada wants the media and public to believe that no one cares about the innocent blood spilled each year across the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This year's hunt will continue until the industry reaches its quota of 319,500 seals.That's why we must raise a public outcry.

Please tell the Canadian government that you do care and that this practice is unacceptable. We must show the Canadian Parliament that the rest of the world will no longer stand for this cruel and senseless hunt!

deadline: 1-25-2006
goal: 150,000

152,773
signatures!

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This petition is now closed.

UPDATE: Canada's baby harp seal hunt was conducted in 2005 despite widespread condemnation by concerned citizens, animal welfare advocates and the media. Preliminary statistics suggest that nearly 318,000 harp seals were slaughtered in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and coastal Newfoundland in March-April 2005, with a majority of the animals killed less than three months of age.

Fortunately, the strong international condemnation of Canada's baby seal hunt this past spring raised public awareness to its highest level in many years, which in turn has increased pressure on the Canadian government to stop this cruel and senseless slaughter.

In May, the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) issued a report of questionable scientific merit, which claimed that despite the culling of roughly one million harp seals over the past three years, Canada's harp seal population is growing. Biologists at IFAW and other animal welfare groups have called upon the Canadian government to fully disclose its data and methodology for peer review by the scientific community, but as yet it has declined to do so.

Thank you for your interest. Please click here for more petitions.

Dear Members of Parliament,

I, the undersigned, am deeply opposed to Canada's plan to slaughter nearly one million seals over a three-year period - the highest quota in history. The vast majority of these animals (96%) are less than three months old and completely defenseless. Continuing to ignore the cruelty and waste inherent in this industry is simply unacceptable.

[your comment here]

Please act immediately to end this abuse and restore Canada's reputation as a humane and ecologically responsible society.

Sincerely,

[your name]

We signed the “Stop Canada's Cruel and Senseless Seal Hunt!” petition!

# 250:

1:28 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, California

# 249:

1:27 am PST, Feb 12, Trudy Botts, Ohio
i think it is time to stop all the killing of the seals. they have a right to life as much as people do. when will the killing of seals stop?

# 248:

1:27 am PST, Feb 12, Lawrence Walder, Austria

# 247:

1:26 am PST, Feb 12, Michael Schmidt, Wisconsin

# 246:

1:26 am PST, Feb 12, Rosmarie Johansson, Sweden

# 245:

1:25 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, Israel
World wildlife should have no borders. Wildlife is a treasure and a responsibility of all people no matter where they live. It is not for one country to decide who will live and who will die but rather preserve it's animals within it's borders for all humanity.How can a country behave so brutally and then except third world countries to preserve their rain forests and it's inhabitants for the sake of all the world. Please stop this unnecessary killing. It demeans you.

# 244:

1:24 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, Oregon

# 243:

1:24 am PST, Feb 12, Scott Pacey, Australia

# 242:

1:24 am PST, Feb 12, Ana Balderas, Italy

# 241:

1:24 am PST, Feb 12, Steph Jumel, United Kingdom

# 240:

1:24 am PST, Feb 12, Marc Lambert, France

# 239:

1:23 am PST, Feb 12, Hana Hadad, Singapore

# 238:

1:21 am PST, Feb 12, Lady Athena, Sweden

# 237:

1:20 am PST, Feb 12, Christine Stepek, United Kingdom

# 236:

1:20 am PST, Feb 12, Kat Caldwell, Texas
The hunt of ANY creatures simply for pelts is unnecessary and inhumane.

# 235:

1:19 am PST, Feb 12, Carol Bitner, California
Its a cruel and inhumane practice that SHOULD be outlawed !!!!!!

# 234:

1:19 am PST, Feb 12, Elke Kohlhoff, Germany

# 233:

1:18 am PST, Feb 12, Ruth Kidson, United Kingdom
Killing to eat is one thing, killing purely for financial profit is something quite different. Seal hunting is barbaric and has no place in what claims to be a civilized society.

# 232:

1:18 am PST, Feb 12, Christina Flann, Netherlands

# 231:

1:18 am PST, Feb 12, Scott Edwards, Pennsylvania
This has gone on long enough to the point that your allowing this has become an embarrassment. Stop it and stop it now.

# 230:

1:18 am PST, Feb 12, Nicole Petrone, Arizona

# 229:

1:17 am PST, Feb 12, Sallie Smock, Missouri
This practice is CRUEL and UNNECESSARY, PLEASE STOP IT!!

# 228:

1:16 am PST, Feb 12, Eva Jonsson, Sweden

# 227:

1:15 am PST, Feb 12, Santosh Sherma, Nepal

# 226:

1:15 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, Wisconsin
The sensless slaughter of animails is an abomination.

# 225:

1:15 am PST, Feb 12, Kurt Joksch, Austria
Please immidiately stop this cruel, senseless and silly slaughter ! Canada should be a civilized nation, not a barbarian state !

# 224:

1:15 am PST, Feb 12, Apple Hui, Hong Kong
why do they hunt the seal?

# 223:

1:13 am PST, Feb 12, Kay Stanley, Missouri

# 222:

1:13 am PST, Feb 12, WOODROW STANCELL, Pennsylvania
STOP THE MADNESS!!!

# 221:

1:13 am PST, Feb 12, Chris Weststrate, Netherlands
the hunting of seals is appalling, cruel, and utterly unworthy of any civilized human being

# 220:

1:12 am PST, Feb 12, Nanna Andersson, Sweden
there is no point in killing them! for what?

# 219:

1:12 am PST, Feb 12, Doris Koehler, Maryland

# 218:

1:12 am PST, Feb 12, Isobel Jolly, Australia

# 217:

1:12 am PST, Feb 12, William Sternman, Pennsylvania

# 216:

1:11 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, Finland
I am quite surprised to hear of your cruel seal hunting -- and only to get their pelts! The reputation of your country has this far been spotless in our minds (my family and me) and we have actually been considering travelling to your country. But indeed does this affect our views of your country. I do hope that you will put an end to this absolutely disgusting habit of killing animals for their fur. After all the ethics of a person/country can be seen in the way they treat their animals.

# 215:

1:10 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, United Kingdom
JUST STOP! Nothing else will do.

# 214:

1:10 am PST, Feb 12, Heather Mackenzie-rowe, Australia
It is totally barbaric and cruel and also not necessary. We live in the year 2005 and it seems like we still have not learnt a thing about the enviroment.

# 213:

1:10 am PST, Feb 12, Hayley Foster, United Kingdom
it's cruel and barbaric!

# 212:

1:10 am PST, Feb 12, SUSAN STANCELL, Pennsylvania
Why should Canada end the seal hunt? Heartless and cruel first come to mind. HOW COULD YOU?!? It all comes down to greed and total disregard for living creatures. My family and friends will NEVER spend our US dollars or vacation in your country ever again because of the seal hunt and I'm sure there are many, many others who feel the same way. Please rethink what you are doing.

# 211:

1:10 am PST, Feb 12, Kuhion La, Hawaii
Are we trying to make all animals extint?

# 210:

1:09 am PST, Feb 12, Joseph Bonser, Australia
Please end the seal hunt...if you don't know why you should you are plain stupid and not fit to be a member of this planets community. How many studies have been done on ecology, biology and interconnected dynamics of ecosystems. Why do you still surrender to the fickle fist of big business and profits? Please don't be senseless, immoral and weak? Do something for future generations for a change!! Start leading instead of following as you are supposed to. Make the people of this world proud of their political representatives for a change. Don't give in to corruption, financial, ethical or moral. Yours sincerely Joseph Bonser

# 209:

1:09 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, United Kingdom

# 208:

1:08 am PST, Feb 12, Lynn Martin, Colorado
it is cruel and unneccessary

# 207:

1:08 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, India

# 206:

1:07 am PST, Feb 12, Ohana Foley, Hawaii
we're better than this.

# 205:

1:07 am PST, Feb 12, Lulu A, Sweden

# 204:

1:07 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, Canada
I am proud to be Canadian... but I am ashamed of this.

# 203:

1:04 am PST, Feb 12, Name not displayed, United Kingdom

# 202:

1:04 am PST, Feb 12, D Fear, United Kingdom
Humane culling is understandable when resources are scarce. Commercial or private slaughter by these means must be done by very mentally sick and violent people. Why therefore have they not been fined, locked up or given counselling and those who use any products from this unacceptable cruel hunt should look very closely at themselves. It is shown that how we treat animals especially if they are young is an indicator of how we treat humanity. Should make us all a bit scared.

# 201:

1:03 am PST, Feb 12, Simon Robson, United Kingdom
It is shameful & barbaric

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