Mass Seal Hunt Protest – Ottawa

The Ottawa Animal Defense League, Save Our Seals Organizations and PETA , are joining together to Protest and make a major stance against the seal slaughter, also known as Canada’s Shame. We are calling on all Animal Rights family members, to join in a collective effort to put an end to the seal slaughter once and for all. Making a large Visual Appeal on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

If you are not from the are and plan on driving up with a car pool of people. The Ottawa Animal Defense League will be planning another event on the Sunday so that we can use the numbers effectively (if people are interested in staying for a fur protest that is an option).

Canada’s annual commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet. Facing harsh criticism over the world over because of the hunt’s cruelty and unsustainability, the Canadian government and fishing industry have spread much misinformation but the facts of the cruelty inflicted are real.

In Canada, newborn ―whitecoat harp seals are protected from hunting. But as soon as they begin to shed their white coats – as young as 12 days of age – these baby seals can be legally hunted by sealers. In fact, fully 97 percent of the seals killed in the commercial seal hunt over the past five years have been less than 3 months of age—and most were one month old or less. At the time of slaughter, many of the pups had not yet eaten their first solid meal or taken their first swim. Sealers target the baby seals because their skins are in ―prime‖ condition and fetch the highest prices.

Scientists say today’s seal kill levels are not sustainable. A recent study by Professor Stephen Harris from Bristol University asserts that the Canadian management regime for harp seals does not apply a precautionary principle and threatens the survival of seal populations. Because seals only reach breeding age at six years of age, the impacts of these high hunting levels are only starting to be felt. Under its current management plan, by the time the Canadian government decides to take action to save the population, it may well be too late to intervene. Notably, today‘s kill levels meet and even exceed those of the 1950s and 60s, when over-hunting quickly reduced the harp seal population by nearly two thirds.

The seal hunt is an economically marginal activity and could easily be phased out. The Canadian government estimates between 5000 and 6000 Canadians derive some income from sealing. Notably, sealers are commercial fishermen who earn, on average, less than 5 percent of their annual incomes from killing seals—the remainder comes from fisheries. Even in Newfoundland, where most sealers live, income from the seal hunt accounts for less than one percent of the province‘s economy.
The government does provide bailout loans to the industry meaning our tax payer dollars are still used to fund this cruel slaughter.

Nearly 70 percent of Canadians holding an opinion are opposed to the commercial seal hunt, and even higher numbers oppose specific aspects of it, such as killing seal pups (Environics Research, 2005). 66 percent of Canadians holding an opinion support foreign nations banning seal product trade, and 67 percent oppose their government spending public money to lobby foreign governments on behalf of the sealing industry (Pollara 2007).

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/seal_hunt/facts/about_seal_hunt.html

If you arrive Friday night, Ottawa has some great vegan places to eat. (note most of these places do carry a few dairy options unfortunately but mainly all vegan)

Cafe my house- Fully vegan
La Belle Verte- in Gatineau (right across the bridge)
Pure Kitchen
The Green Door (by weight)
The Table
Blossom Cafe
Perfection Satisfaction Promise

Places with vegan options (but serve meat)
Asian Stars
Hareg (amazing Etheopian)
Khao Thai
Sushi Village

If other cities are interested in doing a protest on the same day or around the same time that is more then okay and please feel free to do so. All you will need is activists, some posters and a good location in your city. Create an event, promote it and lets Unite to end this awful hunt!

Note: Please check the Facebook event page for updates.