By Otto Spijkers
This is a response to a previous post by my co-blogger, Richard Norman. It is about the ‘baby seal issue’; in other words: the discussion as to whether Europeans have a right to denunciate the seal hunt in Canada. I believe they have a duty to do so.
First of all, I think Europeans only have a right to do so if they are consistent, i.e. if they also denunciate equal animal mistreatment they themselves support, even though indirectly. An example is the European bio-industry, which is supported by all Europeans who buy ordinary meat. My home country, the Netherlands, is a leading producer of machines for that industry. For example, Stork Food Systems, a Dutch company, produces various machines designed to efficiently kill, de-feather, cut up and de-bone poultry – admittedly, there’s a stunning device too (see picture, and see website ). The "precise slit" of the Killer KS-10, one of Stork’s machines, is heralded: "Inside the killer the knife can apply a perfect slit at the side of the neck thanks to a precise way of positioning the head. The artery and veins are opened while the trachea and gullet remain entirely intact which ensures optimum functioning of the head/trachea puller." There’s a documentary, "Our Daily Bread", I have seen only parts of it myself, that shows how our food – read: animals – is processed.
Turning now to the baby seals. I believe the issue revolves essentially around the following: do animals have personality, and do they deserve to be treated with care and dignity? If the answer to this question is yes, this does not mean animals cannot be killed and eaten. The Canadian Inuit may respect the personality of the (baby) seal, but still kill and eat it without hesitation. "It’s a tough world out there", he will say. But there are other seal hunters in Canada besides the Inuits, who hunt baby seals with baseball bats (see picture and website), and skin them – often when they are still alive (someone who believes that a seal is nothing but a natural resource will not find it necessary to check if a seal is still alive before skinning it), only to sell the fur to the fashion industry; as the fur is loaded on big trucks, most of the seal carcasses are simply abandoned on the ice.? This, in my opinion, is something different. It is an indifference to the plight of the baby seals that can only be justified by seeing the baby seals as senseless products. And since they are not senseless products, we all have a duty to oppose the latter kind of senseless seal hunt.
why the hell would you kill a baby seal??? That is the nastiest thing i have ever heard of. I love animals and when i grow up im gunna end up putting you ass in jail.
if u r saying yes to the bad horrible things about seals, think again.
i just want to say that if we can not give life to anyone..then we dont have the right to take it also
i have a bright idea, how about killing crabeater seals. they are one of the most abundant large mammals on earth and are becoming over populated. it’s a happy medium, PETA doesnt have to worry about the seals becoming indangered and the hunters still get their seals.
Seals aren’t killed by baseball bats!
To fdhfh (if that is your real name),
If an animal lacks a right to be killed, as you seem to argue, then I guess there is no right – let alone a duty – to kill these animals. But is there really such a thing as a right to be killed? For example, do human beings have the right – a human right? – to be killed? If yes, then I guess we should start killing people immediately. In other words, it seems better to refer to a right to life instead, rather than the lack of a right to be killed. And yes, like you, I believe animals can have natural rights (not yet recognized in law), although I am not sure that includes an absolute right to life. In this context, I agree with Mr. T, who wrote that ‘Seals are just like us, they hunt down harmless little fishes and eat them. Sometimes cutting them in half or just ripping off their tails. Those fishes lack the ability to defend themselves! You should see how many fishes the seal population slaughters every year!’ That is true, but the situation is somewhat different: seals do it to survive, and we have other means to survive besides killing baby seals with baseball bats.
i hate all of u no animal has the rite to b killed so shutup
Amen.
Don’t worry, the ruthless baby seals have been taken care of.
Are you serious?
Seals are just like us, they hunt down harmless little fishes and eat them. Sometimes cutting them in half or just ripping off their tails. Those fishes lack the ability to defend themselves! You should see how many fishes the seal population slaughters every year! They need to be extinguished. Removed from the earth in there entirety! They are ruthless mean animals. Give me a club and I’ll take out as many as I could get my hands on, they deserve no respect, they kill MILLIONS of harmless little fishes every year!! MILLIONS perhaps even BILLIONS! They are genocidal maniacs!
me and raymondd are 8th garders.
we may live in florida and we still think this crap is wrong.
you shouldnt club baby seals
how would you feel to get clubed upside the head until you bleed.
they would count it as murder if it was a human but seals have families to
they eat like us
they basically do everything a human does.
so just stop this or
SUCK iTT!!
MY BiFFLEE KENNYYY iS CRYiNGGG COS HiS BESTFRiEND WAS A SEAL!
firstly, Canadian Tar Heel, are u saying that its ok to kill these HARMLESS creatures who did nothing to you? would you like it if someone hit u over the head with a bat or a tool till u die JUST to get your skin and oil? dont think so. So if you think its ok to hit baby seals what would happen if you killed every baby seal there will be no oil and no skin? So what would happen? would u kill the older seals? hope u take this to mind
no, i think they should be treated with care and love just like we are. they are living creatures. why would u want to kill these cute lovable creatures in a way thats destroying our wildlife and its just for oil. cant u use fish NOT baby seals that cant protect themself its a disgrace. people who think its a sport u should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking that its a sport.if u do think its a sport then maybe YOU should be hit over the head to know what it feels like to be killed by humans if u cant protect yourself from the destroyers of nature.
if u read this and your one of the people who thinks its a fun sport, YOU are the biggest FOOL i have ever metseen in my life. one last thing clubbing a baby seal for oil and there skin isnt a sport and should be stopped in the near future.
thank-you.
I think it’s disgusting.
It’s cruelty, plain and simple.
Those bastards should have their brains bashed in w/ their own clubs.
I know I would love to…
Why would you want to kill harmless,cute poor little animals for meat that’s so mean Baby seals are so awesome so people out the killing them please stop
THESE BABY SEALS SHOULD NOT BE TREATED LIKE THIS THEY ARE POOR CUTE HARMLESS ANIMALS I MEAN WHO WOULD WANT TO BE WHACKED IN HEAD AS A SPORT?
The animals aren’t tortured to death. They are killed quickly and painlessly.
ANIMALS SHOULD BE TREATED WITH RESPECT NOT TORTURED TO DEATH!!!!PEOPLE WHO KILL THESE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES ARE CRULE MURDERES!!!
Otto, thank you for your insightful commentary about this issue. I agree that the EU should speak out against the killing of seals for purposes of fashion and export, and that the EU should ban importation of seal products.
I can’t think of anyone, and certainly not IFAW, who wants to stop the Inuit from being able to hunt for food, shelter, etc., and to be able to continue their way of life. IFAW has no interest in interfering with the Inuit, they just want to see an end to the massive annual cull which is done strictly for profit, is full of waste, and mainly serves the fashion industry.
And, of course, Canadians can easily say that these images are of incidents, exceptions… To say that images depict regrettable incidents and not official policy is a strategy often used these days. But how convincing is that?
Mr. Spijkers,
With respect, that’s pretty weak, especially the dismissive manner. Countries, such as Canada, pass legislation and enforce it. Does that mean it’s 100% effective? Obviously, not. Does that mean we shouldn’t try nonetheless? Obviously, not.
I’m also curious to know why one should give more weight to a lobby group over a professional organization? And why ignore factors such as the population increase in seals, the total allowable catch (TAC) and the actual number killed (which happens to be lower than the TAC)?
I respect and appreciate your credentials. I also very much enjoy reading this blog. However, on this issue, it seems the post above and the subsequent commentary is literally limited to the smaller, grotesque picture and neglects the figurative bigger picture.
In the end, after the theoretical arguments have been made, it all comes down to the facts: are the baby seals killed in a way that respects, to the extent possible, the dignity of the baby seal? I did not want to add grisly pictures and/or videos to my post, of baby seals skinned alive and left on the ice. Such pictures and videos indeed exist, and shock the conscience of mankind (see here and here and here). It is sometimes said that these images are deceiving, because “sometimes a seal may appear to be moving after it has been killed”. But just look at the images and use your common sense. And, of course, Canadians can easily say that these images are of incidents, exceptions… To say that images depict regrettable incidents and not official policy is a strategy often used these days. But how convincing is that?
I forgot to disagree with something Nick wrote…I think the seals ARE killed pretty painlessly. I don’t think in this case it is much more costly to kill baby seals painlessly (and even if it were, the government seems committed to paying those extra costs). I agree that there are often tradeoffs when it comes to quality of life (or death) issues for animals, etc, and as a specieist (no doubt a term soon to be forced into bed with racism) i would choose to prefer human livelihood over preserving animal life because of its “intrinsic” value. however, i would not support unnecessarily painful killings purely on the grounds of expediency…it is a difficult balance–one i think the canadian govt and seal hunters are closer to achieving than the seal hunt protesters
Two other points I want to make in response to your response, Otto. One: Baseball bats are not used to kill baby seals! The implication you make is that the hunters grab whatever is handy, even sports equipment, in their urgent bloodlust. In fact in your picture you can see the hunter is using a hakapik (and not a baseball bat) which has been proven to cause death very quickly and painlessly. It has a spike on the end; the baby seal is not being bludgeoned to death! Even so, the majority of the hunt (off the east coast of Newfoundland) is done by rifle these days.
Second: I think we should talk more about the age of the seals, as this is the issue that IFAW (if that is its real name) is at pains to draw peoples attention to. From an “ethical” point of view what difference does the age of the animal matter? Could an adult seal somehow defend itself and make the hunt more “fair”? What is the ethical difference between killing a BABY seal and killing an adult seal? There isn’t one. IFAW is relying on the ethics of cute. It gets attention, but doesn’t stand up to scrutiny…
Dear Mr. Spijkers,
I appreciate your response to Mr. Normand’s previous post. I am by no means an expert, but rather a law student and a Canadian. I happen to agree with Mr. Norman in that myth seems to prevail over balanced discussion, and think that the post above neglects the following:
Animal Personality
I’m not familiar with Dutch law, but Canadian law does not personify animals. Even the provincial law of Quebec, which is similar to your continental system of law, deals with animals as “things”. Instead, people have obligations with respect to their treatment of animals. This area is where the humane killing of an animal comes into play.
Seal Hunting Rules
Indeed, there are federal rules with respect to the killing of seals. The Marine Mammal Regulations under the Fisheries Act provides particular prohibitions (Part IV, ss.27-31). Specifically, hunters are limited to particular means of killing the animals and are explicitly prohibited from skinning a seal alive. In fact, contrary to the IFAW claims, the 2002 Canadian Veterinary Journal found that “the large majority of seals taken during [the] hunt…are killed in an acceptably humane manner” (98%), which is quoted by the CBC. (N.B.: More weight might be given to an independent professional organization and a credible news sources than a lobby group, such as the IFAW.) Moreover, the particular methods used, namely the clubbing, may make for bad video footage, but they ensure greater utility of the animal so as to prevent useless killings.
Aboriginal Rights
On the human side, an important factor to consider is that a ban would adversely affect particular aboriginal communities in Canada. Seal hunting may play a major part in their way of life. Moreover, aboriginal groups may enjoy given rights with respect to hunting, fishing, etc.
Maritime Provinces & Quebec
Seal hunting also provides an important economic resource for other Canadians, especially in Canada’s Maritime provinces and Eastern Quebec, which have suffered considerable economic stagnation.
Other
Finally, and on a more controversial note, the over population of seals may adversely affect the other populations aquatic life, namely fish.
Judging from your and Richard’s posts, the correct thing to do is simply to kill the seals in a way that minimizes their pain and suffering. If the solution is that easy, I find it puzzling why it has not been adopted by either side. Does this have something to do with the economics? Is it cheaper to kill painfully than painlessly? Neither of you seems to have an intrinsic objection to killing animals. I wonder, though, once we grant that animals have right to painless deaths, how far that will extend into other aspects of their lives. I presume that you are both of the opinion that we should become vegetarians or ultimately eat only meat produced at free-range/organic farms where animals have a high quality of life. In a perfect world I have no problem with that, but the economist in me says that there are tradeoffs to be made here and that somewhere there might be humans getting screwed…