The Canadian Seal Slaughter

[Darnold9999]

Glad to hear from someone with a rational consistent perspective. Someone that doesn't wear leather or furs, and isn't a vegan only because his/her omnivore body won't let them. As opposed to those who reaction is instinctual and hypocritical. i.e. don't hurt the poor seal - isn't it cute - while wearing and eating cow - boiling crustations alive - having a nice tuna sandwich etc. etc. etc.

Don't agree, with the perspective that you shouldn't hunt to provide for my own luxury or provide others with luxury goods. This is a common renewable resource. Why should it matter if I am feeding my family or buying luxury goods? Is it better to rape the environment second hand - buy buying an SUV working for a mining company or third hand working for the government supported by taxes by those who destroy the environment. For SUV - insert any luxury good you care to name - like dive vacations or gear - something we pretty much all have.

Those working in primary resource industries have just as much right to their luxury goods as we do.

Not sure I see the difference between how we treat food animals vs wild animals. They are after all animals, why they exist is not terribly relevant. How they are treated is, but I don't buy that because they are domesticated it is OK to kill them and if they are not then it isn't. You say that much research is done re how to treat and kill domesticated animals humanely - perhaps, but it doesn't jibe with my experience in the industrial food industry. Animals are poorly treated from beginning to end. "Humane treatment" is lip service that allows us to pretty much ignore what happens to the the food we eat before it gets to the supermarket.

Re my dog - I have an emotional attachment to my dog. Somebody bashes its brains in they deal with me because of that emotional connection. If some other culture raises dogs for food or some other purpose, then uses whatever method to efficiently kill it, frankly I don't have a problem with that. I would have a problem with someone beat the dog to death for fun, but that is a different thing altogether. This is hunting at its most basic form.

More interested in the stewardship arguement of your last paragraphs. Would rather see energy/resources put into actually fixing these issues that are quite significant than protecting the treatment of a resource that is overabundant. Protect a reef, get rid of factory fishing, deep sea dragnets, long lining. But none of these have the fund raising capability of a video of bashing seals with giant eyes that awaken the maternal instincts we all have to protect the young.

Not immune to this myself - don't eat bunny, can't eat bunny - had an aunt who raised them and they were pets for us kids. Source of fur and meat for her. The rational part of my mind knows this, but I can't get over the emotional attachment. This is my issue, I know it is not rational and I know it is the same instinct however it is not something I am going to try and impose on another culture.

 

[fisherdvm]

Agricultural research animals are kept in the best of circumstances, as I have seen. They are usually very clean, well bedded, and well attended. It is the small farmers, and the large megafarms that animals are kept worse. As the farm economy suffers, small farmers neglect their animals. As large megafarms look at animals as numbers, their individual attention is decreased.

At least the PETA people try to be vegans. But when you just focus on cute cuddly animals, and ignore how meat, egg and milk get to you... You need to refocus.

 

[wardric]

What I don't understand is this: If there is an overpopulation event involving seals in Canada why not just use a humane way of culling their numbers. Injection with a lethal serum much like is used to put pets to sleep would be far more humane then bashing in the animals head and they could still use the pelt for fur? Does this not make any sense to anyone?

try eating/selling the meat after it's been seasonned with some lethal stuff :11:

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

This is a little off topic but did I miss something regarding the Hot Chick on everyone's avatar? Why is it there?

 

[fisherdvm]

This is a little off topic but did I miss something regarding the Hot Chick on everyone's avatar? Why is it there?

It's that annual april fool joke. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

 

[wardric]

This is a little off topic but did I miss something regarding the Hot Chick on everyone's avatar? Why is it there?

I see Hot chicks, they're everywhere. Walking around like regular chicks. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're friggin' Hot!!!

 

[aquaman_06]

well it's all a matter of opionion I guess. I am against the seal hunt, always will be, that won't change. I think it's blatenly clear to most people that the Earth and all its beings need some different treatment as far as man is concerned.

As for the hot chick avatar that's pretty creative, I was wondering what that was all about. Man, Jessica Alba, that's a hot chick! One question though wardric how can you call Paul McCartney a has been?

 

[planetary soul]

For me, as long as there is a healthy population and the hunt is sustainable and humane, I support the seal hunt. As for the method of killing, we are told that clubbing is a humane method and according to veterinarians it is. I understand that there are new rules that require hunters to sever the main artery if there is still sign of life to ensure a humane death.

I think the hunting of any population of wild animals should be of public concern so that the well-being and long term health of the population is ensured. As for the Sea Shepherd's role, I support the principle of documenting and transparency of the seal hunt, but the problem I have is that they are often provocative and interfering. Technically, they should have permits to be allowed on the ice floe, but from what I understand, they don't.

Comparatively, I think the seal hunt is much more humane than the horrors of the beef-pork-poultry industry. Out of sight out of mind? I wish we would be allowed to see inside the walls that house those animals to see how they're raised, treated, and slaughtered. To me, this issue has much greater importance in both scale and impact.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Beef, chicken and pork are all sustainable and totally renewable. The form a staple part of the diet for many, many people and many, many animals. These animals are bred and raised for the sole purpose of providing a food source. I don't think anyone could argue that a hamburger or chuck steak is a luxury item, it's a food source and an inexpensive one at that. Is a ham sandwich a luxury or a chicken sandwich perhaps?

Shark fin soup is depleting a natural resource and risking the ecological hiarchey of our oceans in the process. Shark fin soup is a luxury item that wealthy Asian people use as a status symbol. It does not provide a major food source or dietary need to the people that consume it. It is a very wasteful and horrible practice.

this is my attitude as well.

 

[Riger]

I am neither for or against the act of Seal Clubbing specifically, I can see and understand both sides of the argument. The problem (IMHO) is that Mankind as a whole is not taking care of the planet in a way that it will allow it to provide for us in the future. We are not even able to help hundreds of African children who are dying of starvation on a daily basis whilst globally there is huge wastage of food. When one stops to consider all the bad stuff that is happening on the planet, seal clubbing is the easy mouthpiece for the do-good-ers (said with respect) because it has so many 'special effects' that easily raise the emotions in one way or another.

Best Regards
Richard (Riger)

(PS: No, I did not read every post in the thread and if I took someone's line, it was accidental.)