"Bloody" Banner Will Point Up Canada's Disgrace

For Immediate Release:
October 29, 2009

Contact:
Kathy Nizzari 757-622-7382 

Victoria, British Columbia -- With their "bloodied" faces protruding through the Olympic rings on a banner that reads, "Stop Canada's Olympic Shame," PETA members will bring the embarrassment of the annual seal massacre to downtown Victoria as the Olympic torch arrives in Canada. PETA members will also protest with a massive second banner that night when the torch arrives. These actions are the latest salvos in PETA's campaign, which will continue up to and through the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

When:   Friday, October 30, 12 noon

Where:  Intersection of Government and View streets, Victoria

Sealers shoot baby seals or bash their heads in, and they often skin the animals alive as their wailing mothers helplessly watch. This year, close to three-fourths of the nearly 300,000 harp seals expected to be killed were spared, in part because the price of seal fur has plummeted as international outrage against the massacre has risen.

The commercial seal slaughter is an off-season profit venture for the fishing industry, and it accounts for less than 1 percent of Newfoundland's economy. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a subsistence activity for native peoples. Inuit sealing accounts for only about 3 percent of the slaughter.

"There's nothing peaceful about bludgeoning baby seals to death," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "As the world turns its attention to the Vancouver Games, millions will also focus on Canada's shame."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.