No Escape for Seal Pups

Live From the Ice

No Escape for Seal Pups
by Rebecca Aldworth
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 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.

http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/marine_mammals_news/live_from_ice_032408.html


Urge Canada's Minister of International Trade to Stop the Seal Hunt
https://community.hsus.org/campaign/trademinister_protectseals08/nz17bmemj6