Don’t say that they didn’t warn you – Paul McCartney and his wife Heather have taken a trip to Canada to single-handedly save the lives of all the baby seals that are going to be hunted there soon.
Those lucky seals – thanks to Paul McCartney, one of the last memories they’ll have before they’re skinned and murdered will be that of watching old man dressed in ridiculous orange clothes rolling around on the ice like a weird rich Scouse satsuma.
Paul McCartney (CDs) had long threatened to visit the Canadian ice-floes unless the Canadian government outlawed seal culling
– and yesterday he did just that, taking his wife Heather
along for the ride. Why? Does McCartney plan to form a human shield
around the baby seals to stop the evil hunters? No, he just wanted to
go and complain about the hunters for a bit and then go off somewhere
warmer:
"We are out here on the ice floe trying to call
upon the Canadian people, the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
and his Government to consider putting an end once and for all to the
seal culls."
Anything
up to 320,000 seals are culled on the Canadian ice-floes each year, by
hunters keen to sell the seal pelts for around $55 each. And it’s time
that the practise was ended, according to J-Lo botherer Heather
Mills-McCartney:
"Imagine having a child and having your baby bludgeoned to death in
front of you with a wooden club for the sake of fashion and fur."
What
a stupid thing to say – wearing outfits fashioned from human baby skin
a) isn’t going to be that warm and b) looks really shit. Anyway, The McCartneys want to turn the focus of the ice-floes away from all this seal-killing and towards eco-tourism, so that local communities would be able to make money from overcharging rich idiots to stay in crummy hotels instead of smashing baby seals on the head with a bat. And as for tradition – screw that says Paul McCartney:
"Plenty of things have been going on for a very long time, like slavery and apartheid. Just because they have been going on a long time doesn’t mean they should continue to go on."
We’ve been saying that about ending charity concerts with extended singalongs of Hey Jude for a while too, so we know where he’s coming from. Saving the seals isn’t the first time that Paul McCartney has been moved into action by animal cruelty – in November, Paul vowed never to play in China because of the way dogs were treated there. Would he consider boycotting Canada until seal-culling was banned, too? Of course not, Canadian fans are too rich ethical for that:
"I have a lot of respect for the Canadian people. They have been asked what they think about the seal hunt, and the majority are opposed to it. It’s not their fault."
Read more:
McCartneys’ plea to save the seals – This Is London
Image: Associated Press
[story by Stuart Heritage]
Robin says
I wholeheartedly agree and support the movement to end the killing of baby seals. It is absolutely barbaric and I have to wonder what kind of individuals these ‘animals’ are who actually do the clubbing and killing. I am so glad this issue is finally getting the media attention it deserves!
Thank you Paul and Heather!!
AConcernedNewfoundlander says
let’s clear a few things up for you robin:
1. whitecoats, or baby seals, are not allowed to be hunted.
2. seals are used for things other then fur and fashion contrary to mrs. mccartney’s belief. seals are used for meat and oil- it provided shelter and nourishment
3. how would a population survive if it became over populated in the first place?
like our premier said, if you were to put white sheets on the floors of animal slaughter houses you will see a bloody red mess too
I think people should become more informed before stating the seal hunt is inhumane… why not step back at look at other animal raising techiniques in the world…why focus on a much more smaller hunt as the seals? sadly, because of a photo op….plain and simple.
J.C. says
This is to “concerned” newfoundlander. You failed to mention that whitecoat baby seals lose their white coast in only 12-14 days, thus they also lose their protection and are fair game to be clubbed to death viciously. From the carefully chosen “concerned” excuses you make, I take it you are one of the thousands making a profit from this beyond cruel practice.
Rob says
Another thing to the “concerned” newfoundler – while I appreciate the points you have made, you haven’t addressed a major one which people make when objecting to the seal cull, and this is the way in which the seals are killed. Isn’t there a quicker, more humane alternative to bludgeoning them repeatedly over the head? This provokes protracted suffering and fear.
Another Concerned Newfoundlander says
There is a quicker way, it’s called a bullet. 90% are killed from a single shot and the other 10% from and swift hit to the head after the shot didn’t kill them.
Justjudith says
over 90% of seals are shot not clubbed. please take the time to read the real info out there rather than the misinformation heather is spewing. they made utter fools of themselves on international television. they didn’t even know which canadian province they were in when they spoke to the Newfoundland premier and there are only 10 of them. I am quite sure the McCartneys would not have confused one us state with another.
Yet they choose to believe those who have much profit to gain with the photo ops rather than our government which has a good track record as a citizen of the global community.
Perhaps, now, the real story will get out there from a side of the fence which has seen the dark side so to speak of the animal groups who get celebrities to spout 15 year old information to the rest of the world. I would truly like to see the government of Canada go after these spin doctors and expose them for what they really are. We certainly have unfairly suffered the economic consequences of their smear campaign. Now they have engaged not only a world famous celebrity but a british knight to spread their propaganda, it may be time to take it to the courts and settle it once and for all. As nice as it is to be able to say all these celebrities visited us here in Canada, many appear to be taking acception to the outright “rubbish” that the McCartneys chose to spew to Larry King’s international audience rather than accept our Premier’s offer to review the facts based on many years of research and documentation. Personally my money in the belief department would be on the Rhodes scholar and millionaire lawyer who has the facts and the population who are employed by the industry, rather than the guy who wrote “she loves you, ya, ya, ya”
of course opinions are like belly buttons, we all have them.
Clare Sherman says
Are you all 12 year old schoolboys at Hecklerspray? Do you find all activists who try to make the world a better place equally hilarious? Perhaps you would prefer it if Paul McCartney sat by his swimming pool all day counting his money. Yes, I am sure you would.Thank you to Paul and heather for having conviction, compassion and integrity, and shame on Hecklerspray for not even knowing what those words mean.
Michele Waterman says
In answer to justjudith’s comment of 6th March. Heather McCartney is NOT ill informed. This cruelty is actually even worse than I think she is aware. YOU are the one that is ill-informed! IFAW had their vets on the ice and their photographers as did RSPCA and Channel 4 broadcast live from the ice sending us horrific pictures. No living creature should be allowed to die in such a horrific way. These seal parents have already lost 2 generations of pups in this cruel and totally unnecessary way! These are sick, low-mentality, low-down scumbags that are using hakapiks and causing these animals as much pain as they possibly can. THE WORLD HAS TO PUT A STOP TO IT – IT IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!!!
Justjudith says
This, michele, is not a response to the issue, just your ignorance.
If I were as brainwashed by television as you appear to be, I would probably believe there aren”t many three digit IQs in your country when CNN tells me the latest survey shows that the most watched television station in the US is the weather channel.
Then there is the survey which showed that 1 in 5 americans believe that “the right to own a pet” is one of your five freedoms guaranteed within your first amendment.That one made me laugh out loud. Most of them did know all the names of “the simpsons” tho.
Then you come along referring to “channel 4” as though anyone outside your hometown would have a clue what you were talking about.
you call ME ill-informed and our sealers undeserved and nasty names.
When or if you become worldly enough to understand that your channel 4 to the rest of the world is merely a number on a tv dial rather than any recognizible entity, perhaps you might have something to say that’s worth an intelligent debate. Do you truly believe that we all have the same thing on channel 4 no matter where in the world we are. 2sad!!
I choose to believe that these surveys do not represent the majority of americans. they do seem to represent you rather well though judging by your post.
Ignorance and arrogance are dangerous bedfellows.
It’s amazing that you think you know all about the seal hunt.
you haven’t a clue.
As for your concluding statement,
if you require a cause closer to home to keep you busy and spout off your nasty words about, maybe you could ask your government why a space program receives billions of your tax dollars every year to polute outer space with chunks of metal yet your citizens struggle to afford good health care. The US remains one of only two countries left in the world which has not ratified the UN convention on the rights of a child and you are all worked up over the rights of a seal in another country. Shame on you!!!Let’s not forget Katrina. I’m sure you must be at least equally outraged by the way your country has handled that. I know I was. The video we saw on tv here in Canada resembled a third world country much more than the “self proclaimed” leader of the free world. Taking days to rescue people from rooftops and sick people left behind to perish, policemen looting, etc. etc. were more disturbing to me than a marine mammal being killed for food. Tell me, do you consider their deaths “humane” or “necessary”? Did you call the people responsible for those “human” deaths, the same names as our sealers on a public forum?
The response to Katrina, particularily watching your president fly over the disaster on his way back from vacation a day later left an impact on the rest of the world that won’t soon be forgotten. Yet the rest of the world offered only support, not criticism. As a matter of fact, Canada was ready to go in to help even before we were asked and we weren’t asked for several days even though help was so obviously needed. Personally, I do not presume to know all the facts and therefore leave the conclusions to people who do have all the facts.
You, on the other hand, are willing to call a group of commercial fishermen in a foreign country “sick, low mentality scumbags”, without even bothering to consider the other side of the argument. It appears the low mentality crown is yours, self appointed by “channel 4”,lol.
I won’t be bothering to respond again. as I said you are out of your league. try working on the “human” problems in your own country before you appoint yourself an expert in matters abroad, of which you know little.
As they say, a little knowledge is dangerous.
In your case, it’s more amusing than dangerous.
We all know the expression”people who live in glass houses should never throw stones”. In your case, you also should have kept the shades drawn.
p.s. seal flipper pie is delicious. try some next time instead of your steak or chops
It is considered a brain food just like fish. you sure could use it.
concernednewfoundlander says
and what about the inuit people?
i suppose you would want them to starve because of their reliance on seals?…now that’s what i call inhumane! im sorry but there are no farms in canada’s artic region!
if i was brainwashed by the media and proproganda from the ifaw and such forth then perhaps id have your views michelle. fortunately, i believe in humanity.
Nicole says
Hi All.
http://www.StopTheSealHunt.com is specifically designed to increase awareness and help fight the annual Canadian commercial seal hunt, which is, as you might
know, the largest mass slaughter of marine mammals in the world. And as you also might know, unfortunately this year’s total allowable catch has been
raised to 325,000 seal pups shot or clubbed for their pelts (and some
skinned while still alive), starting at the very young age of only two
weeks.
You’ll see that StopTheSealHunt.com explains several easy ways to
help stop this annual baby seal hunt, including signing petitions to Prime Ministers and Senators, and simply emailing our friends to help spread the
word.
Thanks in advance for spreading the word (it WILL make a difference), and for sharing this info!
Cheers,
Nicole