Over 1,000 sign petition against seal cull

AN ANIMAL rights activist has submitted a petition to the Canadian Embassy calling on its government to end a brutal seal cull.

Aoibhinn Gilroy, who lives on Oakley Road in Ranelagh, has garnered over 1,200 signatures from local people who support her opposition to the annual commercial cull of seals in Canada.

Her petition has also succeeded in attracting the signatures of some well-known people such as local Ranelagh snooker legend Ken Doherty, singer Liam O’Maonlai, poet Anthony Cronin and writer Anne Haverty.

The annual commercial seal hunt takes place in Newfoundland, Quebec, Nova Scotia and the Gulf of St Lawrence and is widely acknowledged as the largest slaughter of marine mammals in the world. Many of the seals are less than three-months-old.

The hunt takes place between November and May and the pelts and oil extracted from the blubber of the seals culled are sold to buyers mainly in Russia and China. In 2010, the EU banned the sale of any products originating from the Canadian commercial seal cull.

Of the 1,222 people who signed the petition, 86 live on Oakley Road and are neighbours of the Canadian Ambassador.

Ms Gilroy handed in the petition following a meeting with the Canadian Ambassador at which she outlined her deep concerns about the cull.

“I put it to the ambassador that the majority of Canadians don’t want the hunt,

? she said.

“I asked him if he thought the hunt was undemocratic but he said it was not for the Canadian people to legislate on such issues.

?

Ms Gilroy believes that the methods used to carry out the mass slaughter of the seals in Canada are cruel and inhumane and should be banned.

“I’ve seen data from reputable organisations like the International Fund for Animal Welfare that reveals how seals are shot or hit over the head and literally cut from top to bottom while wriggling in pain.

“They are not respecting the animal at all,

? she added.

“It is just a bloody massacre.

?

A spokesperson for the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans said the commercial seal harvest provides valuable economic opportunities in many small, remote communities where few other opportunities exist.

“It is a legitimate and highly regulated activity,

? the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the Canadian Government has a

“comprehensive monitoring and enforcement regime

? in place, including highly trained fishery officers and sea patrols and inspections.

“Infractions are taken very seriously and the Government of Canada does not hesitate to prosecute those who flout the rules,

? the spokesperson stated.