Protesters Converge On Canadian Embassy To Protest Massive Seal Slaughter Amid International Controv

dublin | animal rights | press release Monday March 20, 2006 13:50 by John Carmody - Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) arancampaigns at eircom dot net ARAN Po Box 722 Kildare 087-6275579

Public invited to protest as pressure mounts on Canada to finally end the brutal slaughter of 335,000 seals

For Immediate Release
March 20, 2006

Contact:
John Carmody 087-6275579

Dublin — Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) is urging members of the public to get behind its protest this week to call on Canada to stop killing the seals. ARAN members, volunteers and the public will gather outside the offices of the Canadian Embassy to stage a lively protest against Canada’s plans to slaughter 335,000 seals this year. With a huge banner depicting a picture of a seal being clubbed to death and reading “Canada Stop Killing Seals” along with placards reading “Boycott Canadian Seafood” people will plead with Canada to end the seal hunt.

When: March 23, 2006

Where: Canadian Embassy, 65 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2 (overhead bank of Scotland)

Time: 12 noon til 2pm

Paul McCartney, a longtime animal advocate and planetary popular musician, this month visited Canadian ice floes with his wife Heather in order to bring 335,000 seal pups in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, and Labrador into spotlight. Besides melting of ice floes due to the global warming on which they grow up, they are threatened to be hunted and killed for profit on the cruelest ways. Evidence documented by campaigners against the hunt showed all seals where either skinned alive, shot or clubbed to death with many choking on their own blood. Not one scientist has stood up to say that this hunt is humane. “Previous Canadian governments have allowed this heartbreaking hunt to continue despite the fact that the majority of its citizens - as well as those in Europe and America - are opposed to it,” the McCartney’s said in a joint statement.

ARAN has identified that Ireland currently imports 170.000 Canadian dollars worth of seafood. ARAN has plans over the coming weeks to identify where exactly this sea food is going so that the restaurants and hotels will be made aware as to what is going on with the seal slaughter in Canada and how they can help end the hunt by boycotting Canadian sea food. Already the Canadian seafood boycott has slashed a 170 million dollar hole in the economy of Canada so much more than what the seal hunt is worth per annum, if it’s not the Canadian government who will stop the hunt it’s going to be the boycott of Canadian sea food.

“A 2001 independent veterinarian report concluded that close to half of the seals examined were likely still conscious when skinned, causing considerable and unacceptable suffering, said John Carmody campaigns coordinator for Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN). This slaughter must stop its not humane it’s cruel and there’s simply no need for it.”

ENDS