On Monday the IFAW team continued to document Canada's commercial seal hunt off the east coast of Cape Breton. We saw four boats; two medium size boats and two small skiffs, along with the Coast Guard vessel. The boats were moving through the ice pans searching for the young pups.  Although this is my seventh year documenting Canada's commercial seal hunt, one can never be completely prepared for the cruelty that we witness. We documented sealers both shooting seals from their boats and clubbing them on the ice.

I saw animals being shot from boats and injured; these young seals were not killed quickly or humanely like the Canadian government claims they are. One animal was crawling around on the ice bleeding for over a minute before the boat arrived and a sealer jumped down onto the ice pan to kill it with a club.  It never ceases to amaze me that sealers see a seal crawling around on the ice suffering, yet they don't act quickly and shoot the animal again to put it out of it's misery.

IFAW documents the seal hunt for a few days a year and we can only be filming one boat at time. Yet every year we see animals being shot or clubbed and left to suffer. We see animals hooked and skinned alive, as we did yesterday. The most striking image from yesterday's footage involved a seal that was injured and then hooked in the face and dragged back to the boat. We were moving between boats and came across a sealer on the ice with what appeared to be a dead seal. He started writing in the snow with a bloody finger; the message was "F@ck Off".

As we were circling to get a better shot of his message to us, the seal that was on the ice behind him, tried to sit up! This was clearly not swimming reflex, this animal was still conscious. The sealer did not respond by taking action to quickly kill the seal as required by the Marine Mammal Regulations, instead he hooked it in the face and then proceeded to drag the animal across the ice and onto the boat, still alive. What we document out here is unacceptable and the world needs to see what only a few people have the ability to view in person. IFAW is here to document the hunt so that the world can see that this hunt is inherently cruel and is not monitored or enforced like the government claims. 

Although the hunt in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is coming to a close, IFAW will stay on another day or so to try to document as long as we can. The weather was bad today so we could not fly, but we will try again on Wednesday. We are here so that the world can see what really happens during the world's largest marine mammal hunt.

Comments

[Sandra]

I'm sick to my stomach, this needs to be stopped.

[Violet]

I am totally ashamed & appalled with our CDN Government!! Steven Harper should be ON one of those boats to personally watch this sickening & inhumane hunt, he personally needs to SEE what his Government is approving!

[Cynthia Mattera]

Every year this brutal hunt continues. Shame on the Canadian gov't for allowing such horrible, cruel treatment on these poor deffensless babies who cannot defend themselves. The ambassador needs to see this first hand...maybe he will rethink his decision. God help him..what goes around comes around!

[Luis Marcelo Achite]

Really shame on the Canadian gov to accept this stupid hunt. I´m here far in Brazil, but watching this with almost nothing to do. Its a pity to see that video scenes.
Thanks IFAW to keep us informed.
Marcelo

[Ashley Carmichael]

This is truley a disgusting INHUMANE thing to do to a defenceless creature!!! That was one of the most disturbing things ever...imagine for a minute please that you are just out in the middle of no where a small helpless animal and out of no where someone comes and bashes your head in with a club...and then puts a big metal hook in ur face and drags you! ITS NOT something we would ever wish to happen to a humane being so why does this need to happen to a small animal?! WHAT the hell have baby seals and grown seals done to humans? This needs to stop...I dont care if the government puts new regulations on how seal hunting is supposed to go..the government is NEVER around to see this happening therefore how can they stop it? They need to completely abolish seal hunts its unnecessary and cruel and sickening. I think that we should go after seal hunters and bash them in the freaking head with clubs and then hook their faces and drag them while they are still alive and see how they feel afterwards. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!!!!! this is disgusting...GET RID OF SEAL HUNTING!!

[Inaz]

CRUEL,CRUEL,CRUEL,CRUEL.....I couldn't have said it better Ashley.NO LIVING CREATURE be it animal or human deserve to be treated like this.SHAME on people who actually support the seal hunt.KARMA is real,like Ashley said WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!!!This has got to be STOPPED!!!

[Matt M.]

Survival of the fittest, eco-terrorists.
Whoever is the strongest must take advantage of that position. If the seals are in no danger of being hunted to extinction (and they aren't, no matter how much propaganda you believe), then that would raise some red flags. Otherwise, it's part of the cycle of life - we are hunting, eating, and enjoying the animal products. Better fur than industrially produced nylons and fabrics.

[DBell]

Man is not in a superior position to animals by default,if we have it at all that superiority must be earned through the conscientious use of our minds. Cruelty and needless butchery are not part of that. Certainly, sneaking up on baby animals and brutally clubbing, cutting and hooking them for a few extra bucks, does NOT quality as superior in any conceivable way. A grown man beating up and killing a poor defenseless BABY animal is about as un-masculine as it gets. It shows me how and why the Dodo was wiped out, and the buffalo. No, it was not for "sport", and it was not done by "rugged" he-men. It was done by unthinking morons who can't hold a real job, (probably because they have no conscience, class, humanity, or intelligence) and who, unlike the rest of us thinking humans, have to have the Coast Guard there to help them do their job.

[ADRIANAISABEL]

If there weren't any senseless fashion designers that make brainless women and men use end enjoy blood tainted fur for false vanity, sealers will have to find other ways of supporting themselves. If there is NO DEMAND there will be no SALE!

[DeeDeeZee]

I just returned home from our local Humane Society monthly meeting. I watched this video & my heart literally just hurts. Our God entrusts us humans to take care of His creations, including His animals. Don't think for one moment these heartless money hungry butchers will not have to answer for what they are doing to His creation.The bible tells us that HE knows when a sparrow falls from the sky!
How can a man who wields a club with a hook, & skin something alive still be a gentle loving person or father?? He can't, its as simple as that. People who can do that should not breed. I would not trust a man like that to nurture a child or to even have a family pet.Respect for ALL life needs to be taught to our children like my mother taught me & my siblings. I wouldn't intentionally hurt a frog, let alone a beautiful baby seal. These men are & are breeding the next generation of Jeffrey Dahmers.God will exact vengeance where the Canadian government refuses to."We reap what we sow" sums it up.

[Doofoundland]

You know, studies of mass murderers who have been jailed or put to death for crimes have revealed that most serial killers had 1 thing in common: Criminals exhibited cruelty to animals.

A psychotic defect where they lack the proper checks that a normal person has, and can kill without remorse and even justify it as their "right" to do it.

Loyola Hearn is definitely mentally corrupt.

Oh, and by the way, any like "joe" above attempting the sealer's old why not the pig ploy: stuff it. Vegan here. So ditch it. In addition, those with compassion for seals have overall a higher proportion of being either vegan, vegetarian, those who eat only fish, or at the very least, those who try to eat less red meat, dont wear fur, and are working toward making the world better, and 1 thing is for sure, they eat less of it than sealers! So go stuff that argument and never attempt to type that line or bring it up again, go home and think up something else, you've now been obviated.

To MATT M.: survival of the fittest, eh? why not come over here and we'll find out who's the fittest. Maybe play a good game of something. Or see if you're a fast runner. Can you run faster than a seal? Let's find out.

Or better yet, you got any children? maybe a baby, something like that? maybe about the same Age as one of the seals? Lets see how fast yours can run. Don't worry, you'll get to sit there and watch. observe in front of you, but not be able to do anything to assist.

Then we'll, publish the times.

No? then go find some other hobby.

[Mark Styles]

This continues to be a disgusting, inhumane crime against the natural world. The Canadina government should be utterly ashamed of themselves. do they realise it is 2008?. This nothing more than a barbaric slaughter serving no purpose whatsoever. IT MUST BE STOPPED. As long as this happens I will never put fut on canadian soil or support their country in anything they do. One day, I hope they need support from the british government and we can politely tell them where to go.

[Lisa Zeske]

I can't believe what they are doing to the baby seals. I have been following it from 3-28 and have gotten myself so upset. What has happened to the world. I hope when they have to explain to god what they did he takes that into consideration and puts them in hell to suffer. This has to stop.

[tim]

To Matt M and Joe , guys get a life, if you really want to show some strenght join the military ,or is it just cool to threaten people for love of nature ..... you guys are just punks with clubs ... the real hero's are the one trying to save the planet ... I spent 12 months in Iraq and came back witha totally new look on life. Guys like you wouldn't last a week ...USMC

[Matt M.]

No actually, I'm a 1st year physics major. So you can't kill my (nonexistant) children or whatever you'd like to do, nutjob.

I really hate the fact that people are so easily manipulated... and only look at one side of the issue. Of course I wouldn't want people to go up there cuttin living things for fun! I don't want to see animals tortured while evil-looking sealers laugh in the background, this isn't Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib Mr. USMC. But a sustainable and reasonably humane (death is never pretty, but its the way things are in nature) hunt is not illegal nor immoral.

Until you're in the situation of the fishermen, stop trying to speak for them. And stop telling the rest of the world what we should eat and wear! I don't know why people can't just accept their own beliefs without having to spread Christianity, animal rights, veganism, Islam (Uh-oh, now I've probably got a price on my head by EXTREMISTS), stoner philosophy, etc, etc.

Just back off and do something worthwhile that is actually productive. Help somebody homeless. He or she will appreciate it more than the seal will. And the world could do with a lot less extremism in general.

[rachael]

well sick sick and sick.
dirty bastards.
i would rather lick public loos seats clean then do that seal.
i am ashamed to call my self human.
i i would never NEVER visit canada in my life unless this cruel thing has stopped. yeah i am glad some of those dirty bastard fishermen were lost at sea. i hope there is more that do.
call me calus but as a vegan i think its wrong that any of gods CREATURES should be used for food or fur.
at the end of the day would you eat or use human skin to ware???????????

[Astrid Horward]

I can only say that I am deeply ashamed as a human being for what is being done here and feel a tremendous despair and pain for the immense suffering caused. Not just by the baby seals, but by the mothers left behind. This is commercial killing, not hunting for food like native peoples do. There is no respect for life here. It is cold, calculated and has but one goal: making money. I totally agree with a comment made earlier: no demand, no sales, no killing.
Thank you, people from IFAW, for having the courage to go out there and film this. I very much admire you for it.

[Bernard P]

6 Million - The number of Seals around NL at last count.
300 - The number of Pine Martins around NL at last count.
Why don't you stop protesting the so called inhumane seal hunt already and start focusing your energy on the species that are actually in trouble, o wait that wouldn't garner the same media attention that your getting now and then you wouldn't get as much money from donations.
People say that sealing only benefits the Fat Cats in the industry, so what. As of now all you’re doing is drawing attention to a pointless cause. Guess what there are plenty of other animals getting slaughtered in other inhumane ways and nobody seems to care about that, maybe it’s because the animals I'm talking about don't really appeal to celebrities who are donating the big bucks to fund this crap.
Here is an idea why don't you try to stop the inhumane slaughter of humans before you, protest the slaughter of seals. O, wait now, I know why it’s because the people killing people will kill you too, but here in NL we aren't allowed to attack you idiots when you try and stop us from doing our jobs and feeding our families.
Also to anyone who is happy that the sealers died in that accident, don’t expect the world to hold back its glee when one of your protestors boats gets stuck in the ice and nobody comes to help.

[Sandra]

Matt, once again, your arguments are so stupid it's pointless. There is a huge difference between people torturing these animals to make a profit, vs. a polar bear hunting to eat. You're an idiot and it's great because the pro-sealing cause needs people like you, the dumber they are, the better.

[Sandra]

Matt, once again, your arguments are so stupid it's pointless. There is a huge difference between people torturing these animals to make a profit, vs. a polar bear hunting to eat. You're an idiot and it's great because the pro-sealing cause needs people like you, the dumber they are, the better.

[Matt M.]

Well I'd like to know who doesn't need profit. Could you survive without money? Sealers making a profit is the same as a polar bear hunting to eat, except there's the extra step of buying the food with said profit. Until you live here or know a sealer or have seen the communities, stop trying to starve them and send them into financial ruin.

And it's not torture! It's painful, but there's a big difference between waterboarding and clubbing. Nobody's out to cause pain, they're out to cause death.

Luckily, as much as you think I'm an idiot, I have this nice transcript of a 90.4 average to prove otherwise. And I can definitely take solace in the fact that your stupid protests have been going on since the 70s and there are still people out there hunting today. Whatever crazy and unimportant "ohhh we're boycotting Canada because we saw this propaganda video" claims to victory you guys make, we're still going to hunt them!

As always though, my original view stays the same. Nature is based on pain and suffering. Whatever tiny stretch of time civilized humanity occupies is nothing compared to the many millions of years that nature has been taking its course - and it hasn't been taking its course mercifully. I don't see how you can overlook that. Saving a million or two seals from five or ten second long deaths, ignoring the billions and billions that suffered terrible deaths. So why not focus your efforts on our own species? I mean, yes, properly manage the seal stocks (and nobody can really say that they aren't being managed properly - propaganda and junk science doesn't count) and all other species for that matter (which as humans we're doing a terrible job of, look at how many endangered species there are!) but when it comes down to it... Bros before Hoes. Save your fellow species from pain before saving others. Instead of giving IFAW thousands, why not give Habitat for Humanity thousands?

I challenge anybody to point out flaws in my logic. Anyone. Make sure you actually source the stupid figures people magically come up with when saying how unsustainable the hunt is, though.

[lorraine finigan]

I think it is sick how can you have a husband who does that and still love him what are they like with their kids. I never buy any thing from canada I always check where fish is from I would never visit the country. shame all their boats didnt sink.

[rachael]

what lorraine finigan said i just wish i had said it first.
good on you hun. xxx

[Bryan]

It looks like the cruel seal hunt will completely come to an end soon..thanks to the "National"newspaper article.On another sad note,there is still(believe it or not)polar bear hunting going on up in Canada,I thought global warming was to blame for the bears dramatic decline over the years.I am hoping to see this ridiculous and senseless activity stopped.There is a real nice fellow named Rick Herscher who is an American entrepreneuer who has claimed to have killed 100's of the bears,taking rich people from around the world on little bear slaughtering trips each spring at $15,000+ a pop.I am posting his phone # if anyone besides myself wants to call him and let him know what a brave man he is.Call the IRS as well to inform them that he is not paying taxes on all that hunting income as I have found out.Give him a call at 954-540-2523 Thank you and hopefully we can end this,it's for the bears

[rachael]

i still phoneing lol he takes it of the hook