Imagine this, as one flies over the shores of Canada and looks down, all you see is red covering the ice beneath you. As your eyes follow the path of red a man is walking with a large stick and at the end of the stick is a dead, bloody seal. A seal the was once bathing in the sun, with its pelt as beautiful as never before, has now lost its chance at life. This act is known as seal clubbing. It takes place a few months out of the year and fisherman in the offseason commits it. This cruel act is legal in Canada, but in the eyes of many it should be illegal. There are many different organizations such as PETA, IFWA, and the human society, who are trying to save the baby seals and end the killing. Seal clubbing is a nasty act that is killing innocent creatures, in an inhumane way and it should be stop.
Seal clubbing is an event that takes place in right off of the Atlantic Ocean in Canada. “The hunt usually opens in March in the “Gulf” areas around the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island. The main hunt on the so-called “front” usually begins in April off the east coast of Newfoundland. Its pretty much over by May.” During this hunt the sealers are aloud to kill three different types of seals, the harp seal, the hooded seal, and the grey seal. The only restriction is with the harp seal. When they are first born harp seals are born with white coats. During this time they are off limits to the killing. Although, this protection does not last long, after around 12 to 14 days of age they lose their white coats and their only protection from being brutally murdered. At this point in time they are fair game to the hunter. There are two different phases to the hunt. In the first phase the killing is usually done with long sticks with a hooked blade at one end, otherwise known as a “hakapiks”. The sealer will hit the seal in the center of the forehead; this is supposed to kill the seal automatically. Although in some case the seal is not