The 2022 Canadian commercial
seal hunt has just begun off the coast of
Newfoundland, and this season, Canada will allow
a whopping 400,000 harp seals to be
killed. Seal pups as young as three weeks
to three months of age are fair game, with some hunters
shooting them with a rifle and others killing
them using a hakapik, a brutal spiked
club. Despite rightful outrage and
shrinking demand for seal products in recent years, the Canadian
government continues to allow this tragic slaughter to
continue each spring.
The European Union has enacted a
number of helpful bans, including a recent restriction
on all seal products in the market, with an exemption
for seals hunted by Indigenous peoples. Crucially, First Nations and
other native communities have tribal sovereignty, giving
them the right to continue seal hunts. Any
hunting ban must include an Indigenous exemption.
These communities are historically much more
invested in responsible and respectful wildlife
practices, whereas white westerners have a long history
of simply bludgeoning wild animals into extinction for
sport and profit.
Canada's commercial seal hunt
has dramatically dropped -- by about 90% – since the
European trade bans were established. The tides are turning, and it is
time the Canadian government ends this practice in its
entirety for good. Sign the petition now if you
agree!