Written by PETA
Canada's barbaric seal slaughter continues its downward spiral—and it appears to be taking Canada's integrity with it.
Last week, the European Union (E.U.) rejected an attempt by the native Canadian Inuit to challenge the E.U.'s ban on seal products. Interestingly, the Inuit live far away from the area where the mass commercial slaughter takes place and are responsible for only about 3 percent of Canada's annual seal kill. In addition, the E.U. already exempts Inuit seal products from the ban.
So why would the Inuit fight a ban that doesn't even apply to them? We're not saying that Canada is desperately exploiting native peoples to try to keep the dying seal slaughter going, but if a Marion Barry–esque tape surfaces of a shady hotel room dealing, we won't be surprised.
In the meantime, you can tweet Stephen Harper (@pmharper) and tell him to stop allowing hunters to bash in baby seals' skulls and skin them alive.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
The results are in from PETA's text-messaging poll asking people to choose the worst way that Canada abuses seals during the annual commercial baby seal slaughter, which is happening right now. Thousands voted, and here are their choices:
All the slaughter methods are barbaric, but what do you think is the worst thing that Canadian seal-killers do? Leave a comment to cast your vote, and "like" this on Facebook to ask your friends to vote too.
Just when the Canadian government thought it had figured out a way to put the money-losing seal slaughter in the black by selling seal meat to China …
Hmmm … if China doesn't want the spoils of the world's largest marine-mammal massacre, what's Canada to do? How about, um, don't club seals? Just an idea …Written by Michelle Sherrow
Chef Martin Picard abruptly quit Ottawa's upcoming Winterlude festival after concerned citizens prompted organizers to ban foie gras from the menu of the festival's opening dinner. Activists won another victory over cruelty, and organizers of the Taste of Winterlude dinner, which will be held at the aptly named Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Québec, don't seem concerned about having to say "sayonara" to Picard over the gastronomical atrocity.
"We all agreed that we could present this menu without foie gras," said festival spokesperson Lucie Caron.
Leaping into the breach is celebrated Prince Edward Island chef Michael Smith, who is big enough to think outside the gaveuse and prepare any of the millions of dishes that don't include diseased duck livers.
And so, there I am, enjoying some vegan pancakes and perusing the morning paper, when all of a sudden I realize—that's me on the front page!
Of course, I'm fine. The blood and the bashed-in head at PETA's recent demonstration weren't real—but I truly wish that I could say the same for the suffering of my brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles …
They could really use your help, too, you know?
Written by Sammy the Seal
Animal abusers take note: your misdeeds may come to light even through the ashes. A Manitoba couple who owned a hog barn that burned in a "suspicious" fire in June—just days after investigators discovered hundreds of dead and dying animals at the facility—has been charged with 23 counts of cruelty to animals. Martin and Dolores Grenier stand accused of failing to provide the pigs with adequate food, water, and veterinary care; confining them to a space without enough ventilation; leaving breaks in the slatted floor big enough for hogs to fall through and drown or get trapped below; and directly harming 10 of the animals.
The chief veterinary officer on the investigation calls this case "unusual," but if he'd spent a little time watching the videos on PETA TV, he'd know that suffering and abuse of pigs and other animals are the rule, not the exception, on factory farms. And the best way to make sure that you're not funding those who cause misery for animals is to stop eating animals.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Talk about fast results: When star PETA member Emily Lavender organized protests against horse slaughter across Canada earlier this month, one horse was saved on the spot!
Protesters outside a slaughterhouse in Québec spotted a man who was about to hand a horse over to be killed because he didn't want to pay for a medical procedure that the horse needed. They begged the man to give the horse to a sanctuary instead of sending him to a painful and terrifying death, and the man finally agreed to let the concerned group take the horse.
With the help of generous donations, the horse (now named Joe) received his surgery and is currently at a foster home, where he is relishing the freedom to run and play. Joe's former guardian used him for breeding, so he spent most of his life cooped up in a stall. Check out this happy horse!
When they stop winning races or become injured, many horses used for racing are sent to slaughterhouses in Canada, Mexico, or Japan. We can all help save horses like Joe from ending up as glue, dog food, or human food by never attending or watching horse races.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
PETA has joined Stop UBC Animal Research and dozens of other groups across Canada, the U.S., and Europe in calling on the University of British Columbia (UBC) to fully disclose information about its animal experiments, including studies in which monkeys have had holes drilled into their skulls and toxins injected into their heads in order to damage their brains.
In Canada, no federal law governs the treatment of animals in laboratories, and schools are not required to release key information about publicly funded animal experiments, such as the numbers and species of animals used, veterinary records, and protocols describing experiments. And as in the U.S., no experiment is prohibited, no matter how trivial, redundant, or cruel it is. Not surprisingly, Canadian universities have been reluctant to let the public see what happens to animals behind closed laboratory doors.
While state and federal laws in the U.S. give citizens a legal right to have access to some information about animal experimentation, some universities fight tooth and nail—and are even willing to defy the law—in order to keep secret the details of how they torment animals. PETA has recently filed lawsuits against the University of Maryland–Baltimore (to gain access to records about invasive brain experiments on ferrets), the University of Wisconsin–Madison (to obtain records related to experiments in which monkeys and cats had holes drilled into their skulls), and a city in Utah (to get records related to homeless dogs and cats who were sold into lives of misery and pain at the University of Utah).
If universities are going to abuse animals in experiments that are funded with taxpayer money, they should at least be accountable to the citizens who have no choice but to bankroll this cruelty.
Written by Paula Moore
In February, PETA and Zoocheck Canada, filed a lawsuit against the City of Edmonton, Alberta, on behalf of Lucy, an ailing and lonely elephant whose wretchedly sparse and unsuitable housing in the Canadian city's Valley Zoo is causing her health to deteriorate. Now Associate Chief Justice John Rooke has dismissed the case!
The judge ruled on a procedural issue, not the merits, saying that we should be calling on local officials to ensure that Lucy is being cared for humanely. But we've tried and tried to do just that, so we had to take legal action because Lucy is still living alone in the same cramped enclosure.
We're busy planning our next move, but meanwhile, please urge city officials to do the right thing without a court order and send Lucy to sanctuary now, before the harsh Canadian winter sets in and she is left staring at the four walls of the Edmonton barn where she will be sequestered. Lucy needs to retire and spend what's left of her life in comfort and in the company of other elephants.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
The European Union's historic ban on the sale of seal products was set to take effect tomorrow. This ban was poised to end the sale of all fur torn from the bodies of seals who are killed during Canada's commercial seal slaughter. But in the 11th hour the ban was suspended by the European General Court, which was responding to a challenge launched by an Inuit group (The court decided to intervene even though the ban provides exemptions for some of the products that come from traditional Inuit hunts).
Of course, these twists and turns are expected in legal wrangling involving governments—especially the shady ones who are trying to market seal heart valves—but we're confident it'll be upheld in the end.
It's times like these that I like to turn to PETA Senior V.P. Dan Mathews, who said this about the decision:
The European General Court may wish to look more closely at the ban, but the court of public opinion around the world has spoken: The seal slaughter is uniquely cruel, and no market wants the pelts. At the end of the day, this is a consumer issue, and seal skin has a worse public stigma than herpes.
Written by Shawna Flavell
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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