Seals for fur

[RandomHero]

I would love to know where I said we should protect seals because they are cute, but anyway:

RandomHero, very few (if any) eskimos kill baby seals for their fur to actualy wear it (Just like sturgoen fishermen do not eat alot of caviar). Aside from the fact that there are modern fabrics that are more efficient in conserving heat, the skin is more valuble to sell on to the fashion industry. The only way I, personally, could partially accept the killing of these animals is if people were deprived of their livehoods. That is not the case since what the sealers make is a pitance and tourism is a much more efficient way to bring money to local populations ( Tourism does not mean a week in Ibiza lying on the beach drunk on sangria to everyone). Seals are also not hunted exclusively by eskimo's by the way.

With regard to religious slaughter, I could not agree with you more. It is inhumane (though stunning has absolutely nothing to do with line speeds and everything to do with animal welfare). It is, in my opinion, an unacceptable practice, but has been legalised in this country to appease religious minorities. Just for your information, the Islamic religion is not the only the only one to have the practice of bleeding without stunning. Like Halal, Kosher meat also results from animals bled without any form of stunning, be it electrical or captive bolt.

Now I am going to ask you a question: a seal is clobbered to death....beaten to a pulp, and sometimes even skinned before it is effectively dead. In Halal or Kosher the requirement on religious and welfare issues is that one clean incision is made, severing carotids and jugulars on both sides (no sawing). This cuts blood pressure to the brain immediately. For a couple of minutes nothing is done to the animal ( for example shackling), untill it is effectively dead. It takes a minute for the animal to die. The seal gets clobbered and maybe (if he is lucky) dies of internal bleeding or (if he is REALLY lucky) brain damage by being properly pole axed. All this for a non-essencial pelt?? I do not consider Hala or Kosher to be more des-humane than "sealing". I think they just bother you more because they happen closer to home.

Get off the defence. I knew whatever I wrote, someone would think, 'He's saying it's okay to club seals!', although I stated I was not ok with it. Get off the high horse and read it please. There are more than two sides to everything. I think seals are beautiful animals and it's a shame the way they are killed, most certainly inhumane. But it's not just seals. Bears are shot and skinned. Elephants are shot for ivory. Some animals are shot for fun.

And don't tell me what bothers me more, you have no idea about me. You can shout off all you want but that's not the way to get things sorted. I grow tired...

[_Ju_]

And don't tell me what bothers me more, you have no idea about me. ...

I asked a question. I didn't tell you what you are or think. I asked you a question. There must be something very wrong with my english. I give up.

[RandomHero]

"I think they just bother you more because they happen closer to home."

That's what you said.

I think the fur trade is disgusting, but not just seals. All animals. The fact that there are no animal cruelty laws in China, I find horrifying.

[_Ju_]

"I think they just bother you more because they happen closer to home."

That's what you said.

I think the fur trade is disgusting, but not just seals. All animals. The fact that there are no animal cruelty laws in China, I find horrifying.

That is what I think. Not telling you to think.

[JAWS]

"I think they just bother you more because they happen closer to home."

That's what you said.

I think the fur trade is disgusting, but not just seals. All animals. The fact that there are no animal cruelty laws in China, I find horrifying.

I do believe they used to breed Chows for their tongues. They were considered a delicacy and quite delicious.

I do know that Chairman Mao declared all shi-tzus to be decadent and ordered them all slaughtered.
That's when I decided to become a "running-dog of the capitalist imperialist warmongers", I just had to have one.
I never did see if his tongue was as a tasty as a chow's though.

One thing he was good at was keeping elephants out of the garden. I never had my fences trampled by a elephant all the time I had him.
Perhaps that's why the Tibetan Monks used them as Guard dogs. It stopped the Chinese using elephants to destroy the Buddhist Temples!

[pultneytooner]

A baby seal goes into a bar and waddles onto a bar stool.
The bartender says, "What will you have?"
The baby seal says, "Anything but a Canadian Club"

[webmannie]

I never did see if his tongue was as a tasty as a chow's though.

Bet it's as wet and slobbery as one though!

[pultneytooner]

Maybe you should start a thread about cows for leather.
Cows Are Cool: Leather Is Cruel, Not Cool!
A cow is not just a cheeseburger on legs.

[pulteney person]

I did petitions against the Canadian seal cull every year from the mid 70's - mid 80's with over a thousand signatures each year. This was done through the International Fund for Animal Welfare. The petition's didn't do any good as nothing seems to have changed. All I got each year was the same reply from the Canadian High Commission in London about low fish stocks and how there were too many seals. Nothing about humans over fishing and bird populations declining through lack of fish and trawlers sweeping the sea floor leaving nothing behind.
I'm certainly not saying that culls don't and should not take place for various reasons but there should be another method. I remember Greenpeace or such an organisation spraying the young seals with dye and the fuss that was kicked up because the pelts wouldn't be of any use for using as fur garments!
The fishermen in parts of Canada now make a decent living taking tourists out on whale watching and wildlife trips. I know people who live in Canada and they were telling me it's a good trade. I'm sure though that parts of Canada will be the same as the UK with hardships.

And talking about halal meat. Try getting a take-away anywhere in London - every shop I looked at had a big notice in the window saying they only use kosher meat or halal meat only served here. I read that it is illegal to slaughter animals the halal way in the UK but am I right in thinking that this practice does take place in the Uk? I'm sure they can't all be importing their meat, not with the amount of establishments all over Britain with these notices in their windows.

[_Ju_]

A baby seal goes into a bar and waddles onto a bar stool.
The bartender says, "What will you have?"
The baby seal says, "Anything but a Canadian Club"

LOL, Pultney tooner.

[_Ju_]

I read that it is illegal to slaughter animals the halal way in the UK but am I right in thinking that this practice does take place in the Uk? .

It's legal as long as it's done by a licensed muslim slaughterman.

[JAWS]

Bet it's as wet and slobbery as one though!

It certainly was. He was a strange dog though, he was madly in love with the cat we had, who, I can tell you, was not in the least bit impressed.

I've never worked out why Chow's should have blue tongues though. Unless it's because the tongues are tenderised at birth to improve the taste.

[Chillie]

I do believe they used to breed Chows for their tongues. They were considered a delicacy and quite delicious.

I do know that Chairman Mao declared all shi-tzus to be decadent and ordered them all slaughtered.
That's when I decided to become a "running-dog of the capitalist imperialist warmongers", I just had to have one.
I never did see if his tongue was as a tasty as a chow's though.

One thing he was good at was keeping elephants out of the garden. I never had my fences trampled by a elephant all the time I had him.
Perhaps that's why the Tibetan Monks used them as Guard dogs. It stopped the Chinese using elephants to destroy the Buddhist Temples!

It's funny how no one took you on about the way you say dog's were treated in China but had it been cat's then mewo ,wowh as for the eleflumps only DW or Glebber2 can say eledumps to that, oh sorry I forgot about the new eleboy .