Re: “Anti-sealing cartoon misses the mark” and “Wyatt’s seal cartoon was an abomination” (the News, Dec. 6).
It was clear to me that both Eldred Woodford, chairman of the Canadian Sealers Association, and Yukon MP Ryan Leef felt threatened by Wyatt’s cartoon (Dec. 4).
Although it has been illegal since 1987 to slaughter seal pups for commercial reasons at the “whitecoat” stage (thanks to pressure from animal advocates and the general public), it’s a fact that after these pups shed or moult their white coat at approximately 12-14 days young, they can be legally slaughtered.
And according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans website, “Seals cannot be legally hunted until they have moulted their first coats and live independently. Seals are not usually harvested until they are 25 days or older. Young harp seals provide the most valuable pelts and market conditions are generally stronger for this type of pelt.”
When is a spin of words, a spin of words? How can DFO convince anyone that seals between the age of 12 and 25 days, and very vulnerable, are not babies?
Calling baby seals “adults” when they are in fact babies is completely misleading. And the public won’t be fooled by the propaganda of the seal industry.
The reality is: those who support the slaughter of seals are essentially supporting what Wyatt’s cartoon alludes to - baby seals are the main victims of the sealing industry and it’s a blood bath! There are plenty of videos and documentation that shows the brutality of the slaughter, and proves that in fact the seals are babies.
Mike Grieco
Whitehorse