can anyone please help with answers to this letter

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

Can anyone help me with a reply to the letter from the Canadian High

Commissioner in Malaysia regarding the massacre of seals in seal hunting?

 

Thank you for your time and attention.

 

Yitzeling.

 

Our letter and their reply below:

 

We are a non-profit, non- governmental environmental organization dedicated

to the protection of wildlife and its habitat and to the encouragement,

promotion and enforcement of laws governing the conservation of nature and

the protection of the environment.

 

We wish to register our strong protest against your Ministry over the three

years seal-hunt quota, where more than a million seals have been killed over

the past three years. The number killed is shocking considering the fact

that 365,971 seals were killed in 2004, — the largest number of seals killed

in Canada in more than half a century. The last time this many seals were

killed—in the 1950s and 1960s—where close to two thirds of the harp seal

population was wiped out. And the actual number of seals killed is probably

far higher than the number reported.

 

Yet it is one of the few hunts targeting young animals. Although your

government has outlawed the killing of pups which still have their white

coats, a two-week-old seal pup which has molted is considered fair game for

the hunters. While hunters do target adult seals, about an estimated 95% of

those killed are 12 days to a year old. To a much lesser degree, hooded

seals over one year of age are also killed.

 

It is most distressing to learn that the largest commercial slaughter of

marine mammals on the planet will begin in late March this year. By the end

of this year's hunt, more than 300,000 baby seals will have been brutally

killed—many, incredibly, as young as 12 days old.

 

Despite decades of condemnation, Canada still continues with its annual

clubbing and shooting of hundreds of thousands of harp and hooded seals,

two species reduced to the category of “natural resources” rather than

sentient beings – in the words of your Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Minister Robert G. Thibault, in lauding this new approach to harvesting

without presenting any new evidence that taking seals in such large numbers

is sustainable.

 

With more than a million seal pups killed over the past three years alone,

we can only wonder what the impact will be on the harp seal population over

the coming years.

 

At the same time we express deep concern over the brutal manner in the

killing of seals where the unfortunate animals are mercilessly shot,

clubbed over the head or hooked to death. Thus each killing method is

demonstrably cruel. Shooting at seals from moving boats is particularly

cruel because the pups are often only wounded. Since the main sealskin

processing plant in Canada deducts $2 from the price they pay for the skins

for each bullet hole found, sealers loath to shoot seals more than once. As

a result, wounded seals are left to suffer in agony—many slip beneath the

surface of the water to die slowly and are never recovered.

 

We are terribly ashamed and disgusted at this bloody and brutal assault on

the seal population. We are surprised that your country is still involved

in such inhumane barbaric practices which is a terrible reflection on your

country, the government and the people.

 

It is counter-productive to the well-being of society to allow individuals

to seek pleasure in tearing away these pups from their mother and torturing

them by clubbing them to death in front of their distressed and helpless

mother. Many of those which are shot are then caught on steel fishhooks or

escape to further suffer and die under the ice. Researchers found that 42%

of the seals are skinned alive according to a 2001 study.

 

There is now strong evidence of a link between animal cruelty and cruelty

against humans. Anyone capable of torturing these defenceless sensitive

species is also capable of torturing another sensitive species, like humans.

Indeed, this is exactly how most serial killers, rapist and psychopaths

started.

 

To this end it is horrifying indeed to learn that the Canadian government

allows and promotes an unsustainable and inhumane seal hunt. We truly agree

with the scientific community that human over-fishing is the true cause of

the depletion of fish stocks off Canada’s East Coast. Blaming seals for

disappearing fish is a convenient way for the fishing industry to divert

attention from its irresponsible and environmentally destructive practices

that continue today. Like all marine mammals, seals are a vital part of the

ecosystem of the Northwest Atlantic. Harp seals, which are the primary

target of the hunt, are opportunistic feeders, consuming small amounts of

many different species. So while approximately 3% of a harp seal’s diet may

be commercially fished cod, harp seals also eat many significant predators

of cod, such as squid. There is concern that culling harp seals could

further inhibit recovery of commercially valuable fish stocks in the

Northwest Atlantic.

 

In increasing the quota so dramatically without proper facts to back it up

will make Canada a laughing stock in the international natural resource

community.

 

We therefore implore you to kindly consider our appeal and to intervene in

bringing this barbarism to an end and stop the seal massacre.

 

We hope to hear from you soon.

 

Thank you.

 

Mr. S M Mohd Idris

President

Friends of the Earth Malaysia/Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM)

9 Solok Mas

11600 Penang, Malaysia

Tel: 6 04 6596930 Fax: 6 04 6596931

 

 

And their reply:

 

 

High Commission of Canada

17th Floor, Menara Tan & Tan

207 Jalan Tun Razak

Kuala Lumpur.

 

Thank you for your letter dated 28th March 2005 regarding the Atlantic

Canada Seal Hunt. I appreciate the opportunity to hear your views on this

important subject.

 

I note the information contained in your letter and respect your choice to

oppose the seal hunt. Nevertheless I would like to provide some additional

information for your consideration that I hope will serve to address some of

your concerns.

 

The harp seal population in Canada is healthy and abundant. The population

is nearly three times what it was in the 1970s. This is due, in great part,

to the strict conservation measures Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has in

place, and our commitment to the sustainable management of all seal

populations.

 

In Atlantic Canada there has been, and continues to be, a hunt for harp and

hooded seals. Sealing brings important economic benefits to coastal

communities. Seals are a valuable natural resource, that, when harvested in

a responsible manner, provide valuable income to about 15,000 Canadain

sealers and their families.

 

In September 2002, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) issued

a Special Report on Animal Welfare and the Harp Seal Hunt in Atlantic

Canada. Results of independent observations of the seal hunt made by

representatives and veterinarians of the CVMA in recent years were reported,

and compared to observations made by the International Fund for Animal

Welfare (IFAW). The conclusion of the CVMA study is that a large majority

of seals taken during the hunt (98 per cent) are killed in an acceptable

humane manner.

 

The hunt of harp (whitecoat) and hooded (Blueback) seal pups has been banned

in Canada since 1987. Regulations also prohibit the trade, sale, or barter

of the fur these pups.

 

The existing multi-year (2003-2005) management measures for the seal hunt

are based on sound conservation principles and a commitment to strong,

peer-reviewed scientific advice. Quotas are set at levels that make the

continued health and abundance of the herd the main priority.

 

To help ensure proper conservation, DFO will continue to emphasize at sea

surveillance and conduct dock-side checks, to monitor quotas, and to check

sealers for proper licence and observation permits; as well as ensure humane

hunting practices, compliance with Marine Mammal Regulations, and the proper

use of hunting instruments.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write on this important matter. We

hope the information we have provided adequately answers your questions and

addresses your concerns. For your further information, you can visit the

following website: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/index e htm

 

ENDS

 

_______________

Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!

http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

For response to the Canadian government, please refer to the IFAW website at

www.ifaw.org

 

Look for the report called " Seals and Sealing 2005 " which will give you all of

the facts and scientific arguments against sealing.

 

Best,

Grace

 

Grace G. Gabriel

Deputy Director

Wildlife and Habitat Protection

International Fund for Animal Welfare

Tel: 1-508-744-2195

Fax: 1-508-744-2189

 

 

 

 

aapn [aapn ]On Behalf Of

yitze ling

Monday, May 09, 2005 4:04 AM

aapn

can anyone please help with answers to this letter

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

Can anyone help me with a reply to the letter from the Canadian High

Commissioner in Malaysia regarding the massacre of seals in seal hunting?

 

Thank you for your time and attention.

 

Yitzeling.

 

Our letter and their reply below:

 

We are a non-profit, non- governmental environmental organization dedicated to

the protection of wildlife and its habitat and to the encouragement, promotion

and enforcement of laws governing the conservation of nature and the protection

of the environment.

 

We wish to register our strong protest against your Ministry over the three

years seal-hunt quota, where more than a million seals have been killed over

the past three years. The number killed is shocking considering the fact

that 365,971 seals were killed in 2004, - the largest number of seals killed

in Canada in more than half a century. The last time this many seals were

killed-in the 1950s and 1960s-where close to two thirds of the harp seal

population was wiped out. And the actual number of seals killed is probably

far higher than the number reported.

 

Yet it is one of the few hunts targeting young animals. Although your

government has outlawed the killing of pups which still have their white

coats, a two-week-old seal pup which has molted is considered fair game for

the hunters. While hunters do target adult seals, about an estimated 95% of

those killed are 12 days to a year old. To a much lesser degree, hooded seals

over one year of age are also killed.

 

It is most distressing to learn that the largest commercial slaughter of

marine mammals on the planet will begin in late March this year. By the end of

this year's hunt, more than 300,000 baby seals will have been brutally

killed-many, incredibly, as young as 12 days old.

 

Despite decades of condemnation, Canada still continues with its annual

clubbing and shooting of hundreds of thousands of harp and hooded seals, two

species reduced to the category of " natural resources " rather than

sentient beings - in the words of your Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Minister Robert G. Thibault, in lauding this new approach to harvesting

without presenting any new evidence that taking seals in such large numbers is

sustainable.

 

With more than a million seal pups killed over the past three years alone, we

can only wonder what the impact will be on the harp seal population over

the coming years.

 

At the same time we express deep concern over the brutal manner in the

killing of seals where the unfortunate animals are mercilessly shot,

clubbed over the head or hooked to death. Thus each killing method is

demonstrably cruel. Shooting at seals from moving boats is particularly

cruel because the pups are often only wounded. Since the main sealskin

processing plant in Canada deducts $2 from the price they pay for the skins

for each bullet hole found, sealers loath to shoot seals more than once. As a

result, wounded seals are left to suffer in agony-many slip beneath the surface

of the water to die slowly and are never recovered.

 

We are terribly ashamed and disgusted at this bloody and brutal assault on the

seal population. We are surprised that your country is still involved in such

inhumane barbaric practices which is a terrible reflection on your country, the

government and the people.

 

It is counter-productive to the well-being of society to allow individuals to

seek pleasure in tearing away these pups from their mother and torturing

them by clubbing them to death in front of their distressed and helpless

mother. Many of those which are shot are then caught on steel fishhooks or

escape to further suffer and die under the ice. Researchers found that 42% of

the seals are skinned alive according to a 2001 study.

 

There is now strong evidence of a link between animal cruelty and cruelty

against humans. Anyone capable of torturing these defenceless sensitive

species is also capable of torturing another sensitive species, like humans.

Indeed, this is exactly how most serial killers, rapist and psychopaths

started.

 

To this end it is horrifying indeed to learn that the Canadian government allows

and promotes an unsustainable and inhumane seal hunt. We truly agree

with the scientific community that human over-fishing is the true cause of the

depletion of fish stocks off Canada's East Coast. Blaming seals for

disappearing fish is a convenient way for the fishing industry to divert

attention from its irresponsible and environmentally destructive practices that

continue today. Like all marine mammals, seals are a vital part of the

ecosystem of the Northwest Atlantic. Harp seals, which are the primary

target of the hunt, are opportunistic feeders, consuming small amounts of many

different species. So while approximately 3% of a harp seal's diet may

be commercially fished cod, harp seals also eat many significant predators of

cod, such as squid. There is concern that culling harp seals could

further inhibit recovery of commercially valuable fish stocks in the

Northwest Atlantic.

 

In increasing the quota so dramatically without proper facts to back it up will

make Canada a laughing stock in the international natural resource

community.

 

We therefore implore you to kindly consider our appeal and to intervene in

bringing this barbarism to an end and stop the seal massacre.

 

We hope to hear from you soon.

 

Thank you.

 

Mr. S M Mohd Idris

President

Friends of the Earth Malaysia/Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM)

9 Solok Mas

11600 Penang, Malaysia

Tel: 6 04 6596930 Fax: 6 04 6596931

 

 

And their reply:

 

 

High Commission of Canada

17th Floor, Menara Tan & Tan

207 Jalan Tun Razak

Kuala Lumpur.

 

Thank you for your letter dated 28th March 2005 regarding the Atlantic

Canada Seal Hunt. I appreciate the opportunity to hear your views on this

important subject.

 

I note the information contained in your letter and respect your choice to

oppose the seal hunt. Nevertheless I would like to provide some additional

information for your consideration that I hope will serve to address some of

your concerns.

 

The harp seal population in Canada is healthy and abundant. The population is

nearly three times what it was in the 1970s. This is due, in great part,

to the strict conservation measures Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has in

place, and our commitment to the sustainable management of all seal

populations.

 

In Atlantic Canada there has been, and continues to be, a hunt for harp and

hooded seals. Sealing brings important economic benefits to coastal

communities. Seals are a valuable natural resource, that, when harvested in

a responsible manner, provide valuable income to about 15,000 Canadain

sealers and their families.

 

In September 2002, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) issued

a Special Report on Animal Welfare and the Harp Seal Hunt in Atlantic

Canada. Results of independent observations of the seal hunt made by

representatives and veterinarians of the CVMA in recent years were reported,

and compared to observations made by the International Fund for Animal

Welfare (IFAW). The conclusion of the CVMA study is that a large majority of

seals taken during the hunt (98 per cent) are killed in an acceptable humane

manner.

 

The hunt of harp (whitecoat) and hooded (Blueback) seal pups has been banned

in Canada since 1987. Regulations also prohibit the trade, sale, or barter of

the fur these pups.

 

The existing multi-year (2003-2005) management measures for the seal hunt are

based on sound conservation principles and a commitment to strong,

peer-reviewed scientific advice. Quotas are set at levels that make the

continued health and abundance of the herd the main priority.

 

To help ensure proper conservation, DFO will continue to emphasize at sea

surveillance and conduct dock-side checks, to monitor quotas, and to check

sealers for proper licence and observation permits; as well as ensure humane

hunting practices, compliance with Marine Mammal Regulations, and the proper

use of hunting instruments.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write on this important matter. We hope

the information we have provided adequately answers your questions and

addresses your concerns. For your further information, you can visit the

following website: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/index e htm

 

ENDS

 

_______________

Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!

http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

 

 

 

 

 

 

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