On the arctic ice floes in the year 2011, a young harp seal pup was born in the harp seal nursery. One of the young photographers who had gone on a trip to the ice floes named her Cecilia. Cecilia was born late among the other young seal pups, and had soft, white fur for about two weeks.
Cecelia was happy nursing from her mother and having the companionship of the other seals and the few people who had come to take photos of her. Some of the photographers even crawled close on their bellies to photograph the seal’s face up close and her habits, and one of the photographers even gave her an affectionate pat on her side.
So Cecilia was a happy young pup, until one day, a sealer’s boat arrived at the harp seal nursery. Several men wielding guns shot at the young seal pups to immobilize them. The so-called hunters then descended with hakapiks, heavy wooden clubs with a hammer head and a metal hook on the end. Using hakapiks, the hunters bludgeoned the seal pups and skinned them, while some were even still alive, even though that is not sanctioned by Canadian law.
Cecilia was amidst the blood bath. She had white fur still and saw her fellow baby seals being brutally killed for their fur.
Because of the law dating from 2007 that prevents sealers from killing seals with white baby fur, called “whitecoats”, Cecilia was spared by the sealers in the arctic seal hunt against harp seals. Many seals who had already shed their baby fur for a spotted grey skin coat, called “ragged-jackets” and fully molted seals called “beaters” were killed that day on the ice floes.
Poor young Cecilia, born late in the nursery, survived to see the blood-strewn ice floes and to watch her fellow seals being dragged across the ice where they could be skinned. Her cries and the cries of her fellow young harp seal pups filled the air. It was the song of anguish.
After the sealers left that terrible afternoon, people from the Humane Society of America came to see to the survivors, and they found poor little Cecilia just about alone on the ice. Documenting and fighting to create better legislation against the hunt, these crusaders spotted young Cecilia and approached on the ice, petting her in comfort and making sure she was not injured. Once they had ascertained that she was all right and needed no care, they left her to survive, but never forgot her.
Please help all of the seals to stay alive. Boycott Canadian seafood, donate money or sign the petitions, if you can, to help your voice be heard that this animal cruelty must be put to an end.
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Humane Society: Seal Hunt
Save the Seals Petition Site