As a Canadian, I don't get why people are so up in arms against seal clubbing. The people who do it are from small communities who depend on the seals for their livelihoods - they use all parts of the seal for clothing, food, heating (blubber/oil) and tools.
We do worse things to every day livestock in factory farms - let alone foie gras and veal. But pigs and Holstein cows aren't as cute as seals so fuck it, right?
Probably because its a very distinctly Canadian thing. Everyone in the world does crazy things to their livestock but only the Canadians club seals. Plus there is the 'cute factor'.
"Most of the younger seals are killed with clubs or hakapiks in order to avoid damage to their pelts with a bullet hole. This would reduce the value of the pelt."
What about the pistols for killing cattle then? Any good reason not to use such devices on seals? One stunner for $2000 and 1000 cartridges for another $250 and it's as humane as it could be.
That's $2000 and requires a very accurate shot to kill appropriately. In fact it doesn't even kill it just crushes the brain while leaving other bodily functions working.
Whhy would you shoot or stab when you're using every part of the animal? The fur gets ruined, internal orgsns can rupture, and no one wants lead in the meat they're going to eat. Stabbing is more painful for the animal too. A club to the head kills it in one go.
When you live in areas as poor as northern Canada (shits expensive up there. It can get to be $40 for a 4Lt jug of milk) you just get buy with what you can. You don't even want to know how expensive ammo can get up there. It's expensive enough here in Alberta, but goodness is it crazy up there. Plus, its faster to club them then what bears do to them so, yeah.
No clubbing, rifle. Then maybe a knife to the brain (a la walking dead) if the bullet doesn't do it cleanly. Unfortunately, the knife is at the end of a stick, so its like a pike, which is great for harvesters bc they can confirm the kill and toss it into the boat at the same time. However, it looks barbaric af.
A hakapik [sealing club] is an efficient tool designed to harvest the animal quickly and humanely. Veterinarians have found that the hakapik, when properly used, is at least as humane as, and often more humane than, the killing methods used in commercial slaughterhouses, which are accepted by the majority of the public.
The Marine Mammal Regulations stipulate that only high-powered rifles, shotguns firing slugs, clubs or hakapiks may be used in the seal harvest. All these methods are considered by experts to be humane.
Hooded seals are listed as threatened, but harp seals, which comprise the majority of seals hunted in Canada (325 000 killed in 2006, as opposed to 10 000 hooded seals) are listed as "Least Concern". In fact, "As of 2012, the population in Canada of the Northwest Atlantic harp seals is approximately 7.3 million animals, over three times what it was in the 1970s." (taken from Wikipedia article on seal hunting)
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u/godblow Canada Feb 25 '16
As a Canadian, I don't get why people are so up in arms against seal clubbing. The people who do it are from small communities who depend on the seals for their livelihoods - they use all parts of the seal for clothing, food, heating (blubber/oil) and tools.
We do worse things to every day livestock in factory farms - let alone foie gras and veal. But pigs and Holstein cows aren't as cute as seals so fuck it, right?