Seal-Hunting Tourism

Is Norway really going to start promoting seal-hunting tourism? Apparently it is, if this article in Aftenposten can be believed (and I don't see any reason not to believe it). Here in San Diego seals are treated pretty much like royalty, and seal-watching is a major tourist attraction, especially in La Jolla (advice for tourists: the seals at seal island are fun to watch, but they stink to high heaven). So the idea of shipping in tourists to hunt seals seems bizarre... a bit like organizing kitten-hunting expeditions (or raising kittens inside of glass jars). No word yet on whether Norwegians consider seal-hunting to be a religion, but I suppose that's next.

Animals Sports

Posted on Wed Sep 29, 2004



Comments

Hunting seals on the ground is too boring. I would require hunters to wear scooba equipment and send them in that cold water, also limiting weapon to harpoon or something...
Posted by Lox  on  Wed Sep 29, 2004  at  03:28 PM
Seals have over-populated in some areas of the world because of human intervention. Maybe it's necessary to hunt the nasty buggers in some places...like it's necessary to hunt deer and elk here...but, I can't see the average hunter in the U.S. using seal meat like we do elk and deer...bleecht!
Posted by Gee...  on  Wed Sep 29, 2004  at  05:27 PM
Hunting seals would be about as exciting a sport as hunting kittens in glass jars (without taking them out of the jars). You walk up to a seal on the beach or the ice and shoot it or club it to death (clubbing is preferred because it doesn't make a hole in the hide). Seals can move pretty fast in water, but on land they can't get away from you.
But maybe the Norwegians figure they'll get a lot of hunting-starved refugees after Britain bans hunting.
I'd rather try something more challenging, like shooting canned hams in the grocery store.
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Wed Sep 29, 2004  at  08:13 PM
I don't know how easy it would be if you got close though. You'd have to shoot it from far away. I'm also from San Diego, and I've heard many stories of people being mauled and bit by seals. Apparently they can get pretty vicious if you get close. And also, they tend to hang out in big groups, so you would be vastly outnumbered.
Posted by Razela  on  Fri Oct 01, 2004  at  03:39 AM
Mauled by seals? Vicious seals? Vastly outnumbered?
Razela, maybe you should see if the Childhood Goat Trauma Foundation has a branch for Seal Trauma.
If you've ever seen any films or photos of commercial seal hunts (Greenpeace always has plenty of these to show), you know that it's exactly as I've described it.
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Fri Oct 01, 2004  at  03:54 PM
I can`t believe it, How can they say that to seal hunt is exciting??? How can you people believe that to make suffer an animal in extinction and cause an ecological impact without any reason more than the entertainment can be exciting?????? the world is the way it is because there are people disgusting like you living in it. Maybe we should go out an hunt you. I hope you sleep quietly at nights.
Maria Jos̩ (cepa) student academics pro animals
Posted by Anna  on  Wed Oct 06, 2004  at  10:03 AM
I can not believe how callous you all are. Can you imagine being clubbed to death. These animals are harmless. The seals in Canada and Norway live for the most part far far outside of human populated areas. The humans seek them out, bust into there homes, and put them selves in "danger of being bitten or mauled" out of greed and ignorence. Anyone who is bitten by a seal or killed by a seal surley deserves it. The seals are not vicious nor are they overpopulated as some people might say(as a reason to justify there brutal murders) and even if that were so human beings are a horribly overpopulated,invasive, and destructive species and yet clubbing infant babbies for profit is still a crime. The "overpopulation" excuse just does not cut it. Hunters think they are doing the animals some big favor by killing them. They call themselves conservationists? HA thats laughable. Hunters say that the animals will die of starvation if it were not for there efforts to spare the species. That's all bullshit and propiganda, it is untrue and the hunters know it. If I were a seal I would much rather starve to death than be clubbed to death anyway. I am sure if the seals had a choice and said to a hunter "Hey I know you want to spare my species from starving by shooting me, but I would rather just starve, please drop your weapon and let me die how I will" the hunter would still kill the damn seal and cash its body in for what ever money it was worth. Hunters care only about there own agenda's and nothing else. They care nothing for "the greater good of the species" and in all cases of extinction or endangerment it was the fault of those same hunters who claim that there clubs do good. Even if a tiny few seals were unable to survive because of "overpopulation", it would benifit the species as a whole. Animals unable to survive are in some small way inferier to the rest of the population, and by dying from natural wild causes this will prevent inferior animals from passing on there inferior traits to offspring, therefore strenghting the entire population. Furthermore the only animals that are profitable are babbies that are less than 12 days old and still have there babby fur. Seals are clubbed for there coats, and baby coats are the softest, prettiest, and most marketable and so the victoms are the most helpless, those animals that are 0-12 days old are brutally murdered. Hunting seals does not benifit the seals, or does it benifit any other form of life, except for humans who are fuled by a lust for money, in this case blood money.
Posted by Megan Lynn  on  Thu Apr 14, 2005  at  03:55 PM
hi there,
well,,,,just wanted to say that hunting seals should be banned and if anyone found doing so should be slaughtered to death
Posted by Jatin  on  Fri Oct 07, 2005  at  07:33 AM
I just saw one of those email messages with a powerpoint presentation on baby seals being murdered. WHAT A GRUESOME ACT. I can bet a billion on the fact that these hunters have never had kids of their own or held even a human baby close to their heart. These so called hunters are just BEASTS and should not be considered part of humanity. Maybe one day someone should go to their home and tell them that they have become too overpopulated and that someone of their family needs to be slaughtered in front of their own eyes. How did these people grow up; probably by skinning their mothers alive for meat? ROT ON EARTH, HUNTERS...
Posted by P Kumar  on  Fri Oct 21, 2005  at  03:47 AM
It's sad to see how much anger can result from ignorance and misguided propaganda. Although I've never hunted a seal and will probably never do so I can honestly say that the process seems to me to be as humane as any other "animal harvest". People who find this violence and blood shed apallying may want to consider their entire way of life before condeming people to die. I am a vegetarian and have been for years I do not agree with the modern process for harvesting meat. For those of you who hate seal hunters I suggest you take a trip to your local slaughter house and get a whiff of whats taking place all around you on a daily basis. Outside the brutally efficient mass destruction of animals for human consumption there is always that nagging little fact that close to 4 million stray cats and dogs are euthanised (put down) in the USA every year. There are also flaws in the arguments raised by the necessity of killing these animals for pelts. People rarely stop to think where their new plastic boots or clothing come from. Well most of these products are petrolium based which means that oil is needed to produce them. As any true "activist" would know the pursuit of oil is one of the most henieous human activities on the planet and the USA is the main "hunter". Recenlty the Bush administration tried to push forward a bill to drill right in the middle of an alaskan wildlife reserve and almost succeeded. However the proposal was denied due to pressure from the Canadian government. I am all for the ethical treatment of animals but we must discern what these ethics are and how they will be most effectivly understood. A child in africa dies every three seconds. If we can't even protect ourselves how will we ever save the seals?
Posted by ignorance fuels intolerance  on  Mon Mar 27, 2006  at  10:56 AM
^^^^ well i agree in a sence, but wut did god put animals on earth for.... companionship and food, i am totally against hunting for sport, but at one time ppl needed meat to survive, now we have alternets, i am no vegetarian, and could never become one because i rely too much on meat and i beleive that is somewut the porpess for SOME animals.... dont get me rong i luv animals and if i could become a vegetarian i would, but then if everyone decided to become a vegetarian we would have the trouble of over population, makes the food chain come to mind
Posted by vurb  on  Thu Mar 30, 2006  at  07:00 AM
The seal hunt is very important it is a income a way of life and a good meal.It is in no way any more cruel then killing any other animal,I myself do not want to see any animal suffer.I would love for some of those people to contact me so we could discuse this and get each others point of view
Posted by lew howell  on  Thu Feb 01, 2007  at  06:25 PM
The seal hunt is a friekin JOKE! The seals did NOTHING!! They are defensless... You guys who want to KILL animals make me sick!!! Hitting an animal on the head with a sharp rod is bullcrap!
It's horrid...i got a email with the pictures.!! God put animals on this earth for a reason, and I would kill every single human whoever killed an animal for a so called "sport" if I could, just so they could see how it felt to DIE! Stop the nonsense!
Posted by hayley dunstam  on  Mon Jun 04, 2007  at  10:36 PM
i am wondering if some of those animal lovers ever had gravy or wore shoes where do they think that this came from lew howell newfoundland
Posted by lew howell  on  Sun Jun 10, 2007  at  03:29 PM
WTF!!!!! WHO THE HELL WOULD CONSIDER HITTING SEALS, KILLING THEM, AND THEN TAKING PICS OF IT? HOW WOULD THEY LIKE IT IF WE HIT THEM,KILLED THEM, AND THEN TOOK PICS? I BET PEOPLE OF THERE KIND WOULDNT ENJOY LOOKING AT IT. THEY NEED SOME SENCE KNOCKED INTO THEM.......WHY DONT WE DO IT WITH A SHOVEL. WHY WOULD YOU FIND KILLING SEALS AMUSING AND ANNOUNCE IT AS A "SPORT" THEY SHOULD BE SLAUTERED.
Posted by HEATHER  on  Mon Jun 11, 2007  at  02:08 PM
Clubbing of sels should be condemned. It is not about how would you like it, because people are murdered everyday. Another point arises from this-would you prefer one fatal shot to the head or being battered continuously to death. There is unnecessary suffering and pain in sporting seals. I understand the certain points of veiw saying just because there cute you save them. I also understand the veiw of the necessity of meat. For pure profit and human intent of greed is ridiculous. If conservation of the seals and overpopulation is the case, is there not more humane ways of killing them. As for the sport, there is not and sympathising nor tollerance. We'll help the seals. Australia cares. Tradition can kiss my ass. x
Posted by Jessy Meredith  on  Thu Oct 04, 2007  at  07:49 AM
Okay this is fucking dumb. Animals weren't created to be killed for fun. It would be okay if you had to kill them to survive, but this IS NOT how God intended the world to be. Animal cruelty, that's all it is, you are to fucking blind to see the consequences. They have no voice. They have no defense.
Posted by CHELSEA  on  Wed Oct 10, 2007  at  11:59 AM
WHO THE HELL DO YOU PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE!! i dont kno wut you people see in this, it is not a sport, were is the fun in this, this is cruel in everyway possible do u relize that u people are MURDERS!! when i look at these bulletins posted about this kinda stuff i just wanna cry! wut do you see when you look into those baby seals eyes, who the hell put u in charge of thier lives! they are nothing but little seals that cant get away, so why, why i ask you, why would you do this to something so sweet and loving!!!!! when i look into the their big baby eyes i want them to live! you have no heart, and no soul, but when i look at you, i see a PSYCOPATH!! i hope you cant sleep at night for wut u have done! i hope ur happy
Posted by shelby  on  Fri Oct 12, 2007  at  03:45 AM
SEAls.... If seals did not look so cute, would people care? What if they looked like squid, would everyone still be so concerned? Probably not. In order to safe fish populations this has to be done.
Posted by J  on  Sun Dec 02, 2007  at  09:35 AM
seal hunting is inhumane and SHOULD be stopped.
the cruelety is bararic & disturbing. it doesnt matter HOW they look like. nor does it "have to be done" im sure those words would be spoken by a sealer who sadisticly likes to watch innocent lives suffer. its the fact they are suffering for no reason. for products no one needs to survive.
Posted by Angel  on  Mon Dec 10, 2007  at  04:28 AM
i love seals i wish that this had never happened the seals geting wacked and draged somtimes alive for just there fur its stupid these peaple who do this are domb peaple imagine it happenig to you.
Posted by james  on  Sat Feb 09, 2008  at  01:23 AM
i hate people killing seals there my favrite animal and they wack alive and drag it to a boat and kill it just for its fur i thingk that those people been seen should be identafied and loes an arm.
i wish that we never found out about seals then none would have died by a human its in a sharks nature but not a humans i feel like crying i have toy versions and they remind me of the seals getting killed and i HATE IT!



STOP THIS NOW PEOPLE REEDING THIS AT THE BOTTEM OF THE PAGE RIGHT A MESSAGE AND PLEAS DO IT IM ONLY 10 BUT IMAGINE GETING STABED NO WAY OUT FLESH TAKEN OUT OF YOU AND DRAGED TO A BOAT SO PLEASE STOP THIS AND RIGHT A MESSAGE!
Posted by james  on  Sat Feb 09, 2008  at  01:31 AM
HOW COULD YOU PEOPLE BE SO CRUEL AND IN HUMANE ? HOW COULD YOU CLUB A MERE BABY TO DEATH!? THINK IF IT WERE YOUR OWN CHILD GETTING CLUBED AND SHOT TO DEATH OR DRAGGED HUNDREDS OF METERS ON A FISHING HOOK YOU WOULDN'T BE SO HAPPY TO KILL THE LITTLE CUTE SEALS WOULD YOU? YOU LITTLE MOTHER FUCKING BITCHES I WILL SPIT ON YOUR GRAVES WHEN YOU DIE I HATE ALL OF YOU!!!!!!
Posted by amber and alax  on  Sat Feb 16, 2008  at  09:33 AM
heloo i just sall this site and i wanted to type to. hi
Posted by j,hbegv  on  Wed Mar 12, 2008  at  01:05 PM
when i was a young boy going up in newfoundland you would never see a seal from a road or highway you would have to go on the ocean but those days they are everywhere because the population as increased so much.main reason for seeing those seals are they are feeding close to land on other food supplies.sealing is not any more then killing any other animal when its for food or income,i do believe the whole of the animal should be used,with all the people in the world going hungry maybe some countrys in the world should consider this a food for some starving children.this is a animal where all of it should be used but do it in the proper way and only take as needed and do not hurt the supply.
Posted by lew howell  on  Fri Apr 18, 2008  at  04:49 AM
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE
just because we have the power to kill a harmless seal doesn MEAN WE HAVE TO TAKE IT! IF U THINK THAT KILLING A SEAL IS A SPORT THERE IS SOMETHING SICK AND TWISTED IN UR MIND. HOW WOULD U LIKE IT IF I KILLED U WITH A CLUB. SEALS ARE HARMLESS WHAT DID THEY EVER DO TO U !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by doesnt matter  on  Mon May 05, 2008  at  10:41 PM
oh yeah. let's club seals.

then lets go club you're baby sister. then you're family. then you. don't forget to watch. it'll be the most special moment of your damn life.

we'll use you're hair for cancer patients who ACTUALLY need it. not to mention DESERVE it.

unlike you. you don't need your hair
because you'll be dead. so who really cares right?
it was just a few lives. humans are over populated anyway.


if people really want to attack something with a stick, why don't you try slaughtering a pickle. it would be the best hunting game ever.
Posted by Dani  on  Sat Apr 25, 2009  at  07:16 PM
i would like to hear from people who believe that sealing should be stopped in newfoundland
Posted by lew howell  on  Thu May 07, 2009  at  07:58 PM
is there anyone out there wanting to get the seal hunt up and running in a big way but we need to sell all of the seal it is really good meat think of all the people in the world that have no food what a waste of good food
Posted by lew howell  on  Fri Jun 26, 2009  at  06:58 PM
How can you guys say that this is terrible ? Do you eat Beef, pork or chicken? All those animals get killed too ! And if any of you own any piece of leather clothing don't even try to come in here and say that this is cruel you're wearing an animals skin ! Now I must ask, Do you think hunting deer cruel ? How about elk, moose, or bear? It's the exact same thing except they use a club for seals. And do your research people its one of the most efficient and pain free ways to do it.
Posted by Billy Jean  on  Sat Mar 13, 2010  at  03:37 PM
Seals aren't in extinction you retards they are living in abundance.
Posted by kinkyoso  on  Sat Mar 13, 2010  at  03:39 PM
I must be not human or you got very low education level. That is why you can love this terrible game.

You canot imagine how much i did suffer aftter saw these seals were hunted.

Just one time please feel how much hurtful and painful, when your bones are broken, and now that is how you gave them even they did not do any thing harm to you!!!
Posted by trang  on  Fri May 14, 2010  at  03:18 AM
HOW CAN PEOPLE BRING THEMSELVES TO KILL THESE HELPLESS ANIMALS TO CHASE THEM ALONG THERE LAND ON WHICH THEY CANT MOVE WELL UNTIL THEY GIVE UP LOOK DOWN ON THEM WHILE THEY LOOK UP AND YOU HELPLESSLY AND PUT A CLUB THROUGH THE POOR CREATURES HEAD? KNOW WHAT HOW WOULD A SEAL HUNTER LIKE ME TO COME TO THEIR HOUSE WITH A CLUB CHASE THEM AROUND TILL THEY ARE EXHAUSTED IN FRONT OF THERE WHOLE FAMILY STICK A CLUB THROUGH THEIR FACE AND DRAG THEM OFF THATS BASICALLY HOW THEY TREAT SEALS SO HOW THE FUCK WOULD THEY LIKE IT?
Posted by Chris  on  Tue Jun 08, 2010  at  03:15 PM
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