Aww.... Poor little Sealy...

Aren't baby seals so beautifully photogenic?

Frankly, the hype over the seal hunt irritates me.

There was an article in the Globe and Mail over the Larry King debate, and the great thing about the Globe is that you can post comments (which are moderated) following most articles. I was particularly pleased at the number of Newfoundlanders on the post, since we don't usually hear much from these particular Canadians. Premier Danny Williams effectively won the argument, with the comment that the seal hunt was no different than slaughter houses, but he sidelined the entire issue pertaining to mass production and the true unsustainability of this far more inhumane and widespread practice. It's for that reason (among others), and not because of some cute pup that I decided to go vegetarian. I think one Newfoundlander encapsulated my opinion best:


E MacD from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada writes:

Just watched the Larry King Live episode and was struck by a couple of things. The McCartneys went on about the seal hunt as being cruel and inhumane. I would ask, what killing isn't? What is a humane way to kill? They deflected Premier Williams' points about slaughterhouses and the accessibility of celebrities and cameras to the pristine ice floes which become covered in blood during the hunt but they never explained what is a humane way to kill. I would argue there is no 'humane' way and that killing, either for food, clothing, bone, oil, etc. is always awful. But it is done for a variety of reasons including food for the masses (although I have more of an issue with slaughterhouses etc. than the killing of an animal which is in its natural environment.) Premier Williams should have asked them how to kill humanely. Also, how can anyone take Mr. McCartney seriously about the 'facts' he is espousing when he is completely unaware of his own actual location. He was in a studio in PEI and said he was in Newfoundland. He reiterated that in another earlier television interview, as well. In all likelihood, someone had to have pointed it out to him that he was incorrect about his location, and if so, he clearly ignored that fact. Hard to take him seriously after that. I am a Newfoundlander and am not a huge fan of the hunt, but I see it as being more humane than factory farms, etc. simply because the animal is living a normal life befor its death. I will eat moose or caribou that has been shot before I buy pre-packaged beef from who knows where which was likely been mass-slaughtered and put through 'production.' The seal is not endangered. The Newfoundland and Labrador fishermen are. One point to those who recommend that rural people move to where there are jobs, smarten up! We all don't want to live in a crime-ridden metropolis. Some of us love our rural ways of life and will fight tooth and nail to stay here. The McCartney's have a right to their opinion but it seemed simplistic and idealistic and not at all realistic or based in fact.

I also liked this one, which is probably my counterpoint if I was oblidged to defend the McCartney's.

Helen Pettingill from Norval, ON, Canada writes:

Admittedly I'm not aware of all the seal hunting facts but I'm sure it's not completely harmless & innocent. But look at it this way: if we didn't have people standing up & defending the rights of those who are at a disadvantage (seal pups in this case), we would be living in an uncivilized society. Women gained the right to vote because people stood up for it as it was the right thing to do. Priests don't get away with sexually abusing young boys without repurcussion because people aren't afraid of austracizing them anymore. People are jailed for abusing their pet dogs because people stood up for pet's rights. Gay folks can now marry each other in Canada because they stood up for what they thought was right. Those are just a few examples. I'm glad that Paul is defending the lives of baby seals. He apparently doesn't have all the facts right but his attitudes are raising awareness nonetheless. That is a good thing because seal hunts can go to the extreme of causing their future extinction if they're not monitored. They wouldn't be the first species to become extinct as a result of over hunting. As a part of the food chain that seals are, that's no small deal. Someone has to speak up for those seal pups & if it happens to be a super celebrity, more power to the seals. I realize that people make their livings from seal hunting. I feel bad for them if that comes to an end but life changes. People used to make a living selling horse shoes & buggies & chastity belts & oil lanterns, etc. Unfortunately for them, the demand for them came to a halt & but as a result, I'm sure that out of necessity, those people found other ways to earn a living in this ever changing world. I'm sure our fishermen friends on the east coast can do the same.

And this one was hilarious, though I suspect it's quite true, and therein lies the contradiction of conservation. As Aldo Leopold put it, " ...all conservation of wilderness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough people have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish."


Al Suba from Trenton, Canada writes:

I recently saw television coverage of a washed up rocker and his loudmouth wife on an ice floe off the coast of Newfoundland harrassing a seal pup. Whoever helped them off that ice floe ought to be charged with crimes against society.


K