March 23, 2004



Seal hunt begins; IFAW bears witness



(Charlottetown – March 23, 2004) Despite international condemnation,
the commercial hunt for harp and hooded seal pups began in full force
today across the ice floes of eastern Canada, and IFAW (the
International Fund for Animal Welfare – www.ifaw.org) is out on the
ice to document the abuse.










As many as 350,000 harp seal pups will be slaughtered over the next
few weeks – the highest quota for harp seals in history. Seals may be
killed once they begin to moult their fluffy white coats – at just 12
days old. Fully 95 percent of the seals killed in the hunt are under
three months of age.

IFAW representatives are documenting this year’s hunt, both from the
air and on the ice itself. To date, IFAW has submitted video evidence
of more than 660 probable violations of Canada’s Marine Mammal
Regulations – including the skinning of live seals - to the Department
of Fisheries and Oceans. Not a single charge has been laid in
response.

Last year, IFAW collected video footage of unprecedented quality and
detail. Sealers were filmed from close range, clubbing and skinning
animals. In the footage, sealers were caught clubbing several animals,
then returning to kill each one – a clear violation of the Marine
Mammal Regulations. As the sealer would start to cut into the seal, it
would begin to thrash around. The sealer, seeing the animal was still
alive, would club it again. The seal would lie still, and the sealer
would continue cutting into it. Again the seal would move. This
process was repeated several times.

Sealers are required by law to perform a simple blink reflex test to
determine if the seal is dead before it can be skinned. In absence of
this test, the sealer has no way to ensure he is not skinning the
animal alive. But the sealers did not simple perform this test once –
another clear violation of the regulations.

IFAW submitted the footage to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
following the 2003 hunt as clear evidence of extreme cruelty to
animals and gross infractions of the Marine Mammal Regulations. Just
last month, the DFO informed IFAW they would not be pressing charges.

“It is clear to me the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is not only
unable, but also unwilling to enforce their own regulations,”
campaigner Rebecca Aldworth said. “Allowing the very sealers caught on
this tape to return to the hunt this year is an official endorsement
from the Canadian government that illegal, cruel behavior is an
accepted part of the commercial seal hunt.”

To follow IFAW’s trek to the ice, go to www.canadasealhunt.ca.

End


For media-related inquiries, contact:
Katy Heath-Eves (IFAW) – Canada Tel: 1 (902) 628-4615; Email:







Cheerio

--
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