Today I came home to find this SPAM mail in my inbox. I did not sign up to recieve this:
Hi Yarcofin,
Premier Danny Williams recently lied about the cruel conditions of Canada's seal hunt during a "Larry King Live" interview. Tell Canada's
government to come clean about what's really happening on the ice.
In just a few weeks, the largest slaughter of marine mammals is set to begin on the ice off Canada's East Coast.
Over 300,000 seals, mostly babies, will be bludgeoned or shot to death for their fur.
Take action.
But the income generated by the commercial seal hunt doesn't go as far as the Canadian government would like you to think; it accounts for less than
one percent of Newfoundland's GDP - an average of only $1,000 per sealer.
What's worse, the seals are slaughtered in the most inhumane fashion during the hunt - routinely clubbed or shot and left to suffer on the ice, then
dragged over the side of boats with sharpened metal hooks. Some are even skinned alive.
Say no!
When Danny Williams, Premier of Labrador and Newfoundland, was given the chance to tell the truth about the hunt during a recent episode of "Larry
King Live" on CNN, he chose instead to lay false claims about the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and their documentation of the hunt's
cruelty.
Claiming to speak on behalf of Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Williams said: "IFAW representatives, veterinarians and other experts have
said the seal hunt is humane."
The truth? There isn't a single reputable "expert" or "veterinary group" that has observed the seal hunt and called it humane. In fact, IFAW
experts concluded the slaughter to be inherently cruel and horrific.
Take action now.
Doesn't the public at least deserve to know the facts about how baby seals are being killed?
Join IFAW and activists from around the world in urging Canada's Prime Minister to tell the truth about what's really happening on the ice.
Sign the petition here!
Thanks for your action today.
[Removed Signature]
[Link to site appears about 8 times in the email]
"There isn't a single reputable expert or veterinarian group that says the hunt is humane" - FALSE.
The most recent Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Report and numerous reports mentioned by the Malouf Commission (1987) indicate that
this is not true.
Over the years, studies conducted by the various veterinary experts, and American studies carried out between 1969 and 1972 on the Pribilof
Islands hunt (Alaska) have consistently proven that the club or hakapik is an efficient tool designed to kill the animal quickly and humanely. A
recent report in September, 2002, by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, had results that parallel these findings.
Hunting methods were studied by the Royal Commission on Sealing in Canada and they found that the clubbing of seals, when properly performed, is
at least as humane as, and often more humane than, the killing methods used in commercial slaughterhouses, which are accepted by the majority of the
public.
Other facts:
*The seal hunt is claimed to be the world's largest commercial harvest of wildlife, but the Australian Kangaroo harvest takes 7 million animals,
versus the 300,000 of the seal hunt.
Canadian Seal Hunt - Wikipedia Article
ATLANTIC CANADA SEAL HUNT MYTHS AND REALITIES - Published by the Canadian
Government
Included in the above link is also more information about misconceptions, like the fact that it allegedly does not make much money, it is babies that
are killed, etc. AND THEY
ARE NOT skinned alive. It's unfortunate that organizations like the IFAW and Greenpeace are spreading such
misconceptions and lies. Because of it, it is (in majority) Americans that are whining about it. I'm so tired of people saying they will boycott all
Canadian products if we don't stop the seal hunt, etc.
From this information and the lying of these organizations, I can say that I am FOR the Seal Hunt, and I would actually sign a petition to keep it, if
one was available.
[edit on 16-3-2006 by Yarcofin]
But I think that's because they are much cuter than a cow, chicken or pig. (I'm nothing if not honest
) 
