There are certain stories which are guaranteed to provoke a strong viewer reaction.

And I know from past experience that stories about animals fall into that category.

See for example the posts (and comments) about China's Zoos and the Dolphin Slaughter in Japan.

The reports from our correspondent Ian Woods about the seal hunt in Canada are already leading to a good debate. And Ian has written about his personal feelings on the story.

Paul

Comments

[my view canada 19 May 2008 04:32:44]

We Canadians are not VILE PEOPLE , most Canadians hate the seal hunt too. Our Inuit have had seal hunts for as long as Canada has been a nation and we abhor the slaughter of these beautiful creatures simply to be made into a coat for some rich pampered twit to drape about her shoulders !!.

We have no beef with mature seals ,caribu , elk and deer being culled . Our Inuit and First Nation Peoples utilise every part of an animal that is slaughtered . The kill is prayed over and in many northern communities it can be a matter of life or starvation . Most people have no idea how vast a country Canada is and how far north people live . In many cases it is a bands survival , they hunt and fish to live and many small communities would not survive and have indeed starved . It is a different life than you or I can imagine , a very hard life at times . For so many bands it is the only life they know and we do not have the right to take it away from them . In Canada the white man has done more than enough to inflict great harm on our First Nations people .

[Liam Hogan 21 Apr 2008 21:17:47]

Alan of Cork,

You obviously haven't read my post. There's nothing 'superior' in it whatsoever.

My 'outrage' is aimed at people who rant at an activity which kills 'cute' animals for an economic reason while at the same time supporting the exact same activity hidden away in slaughterhouses and farms in order to sit-on, wear or eat self-same other types of 'cute animals' that they don't see being killed for the exact-same econonomic reasons.

It's called 'blind hypopcrisy' mate.

If you don't believe me go look it up in the dictionary, after eating your lamb chops and putting on your leather shoes while sitting on your leather sofa, before going out in your leather jacket and fastening your leather belt, as you go down the pub and sit on the leather seats while you drink a pint and play darts on your board of boar bristles, with your darts finned with plucked dead bird feathers.

Then on a bright Sunday morning you can wash your car and dry it with a nice chamois-goat leather while your lady paints her face and lips with cosmetics and creams made from animal fats, before buying her a bunch of lovely red roses fertilised on crushed animal bone meal.

I could go on but do you get my drift?

[Alan, Cork 21 Apr 2008 11:07:29]

why the need to feel superior at all Liam and have a go at people expressing their necessary outrage at this terrible practise....they may do these things you suggest, but this is currently academic my mate; one change at a time, you may be impatient for change in the enviromentalist front but these things change slowly, one step at a time.....first japan's whaling fails to meet quotas, next seal clubbing....things will change

[Liam Hogan 13 Apr 2008 15:55:23]

Jack my point was indeed to expose the vacuus hypocrites who scream blue murder at the seal 'hunters' yet eat, sit on and wear animals otherwise and who have never been near a bleeding, dying creature for these 'other' reasons.
Unfortunately I do eat, sit on and wear animal skins and meat and I have no issue with it whatsover. The issue for me is not the killing of animals for these purposes, it is the hypocritical criticism by others who claim outrage yet continue the same practice in other ways and fail to see what they are doing.
I respect you for not eating meat or wearing animal skins if you can do so. However I should ask you to allow me to continue to do so.

[Jack, London 11 Apr 2008 10:39:23]

I agree Liam, but remind me again what exactly your point is?? I dont despise these men for the way it's done by the way, I despise these imbreds for doing it in the first place, and I despise anyone who wears fur, goes hunting, wears leather, uses cosmetics and house hold products tested on animals, calls themselves a veggie but actually eats fish oh and chicken, eats halou meat because it's been cleansed and looks at themselves as someone who is above the animal kingdom because they are 'Human'(well done by the way!), and before anyone asks, no I don't do any of the above. So I think I get your point Liam!

[Christine from Weston-super-Mare 8 Apr 2008 19:37:55]

Seal Clubbing is barbaric and should be banned immediately but then we should ban anything thats made out of fur because either way they get killed in the most awful way just so that some toffee nose b**ch can wear them.Get it stopped now!!!

[Liam Hogan 7 Apr 2008 22:33:38]

Yeah and the next time any one of you gormless women try on a pair of Ferragamo shoes or a buy a Versace handbag or even that nice lambskin/goatskin/animal belt/skirt/gloves/hat just remember it was once a cute baby animal too.
And when you sit down on your new leather dining room chairs or drive in your cutsie two-seater cabriolet or relax on your comfy leather sofa just try and remember all the cute animals that are slaughtered for your comfort and fashion.
And when you apply that make-up, mascara and lipstick and use hair products to make you look better than you really are, remember also the animal fats used from the assorted darling, cute animals that provide you all with your hypocritical vanity and comfort.
Oh and guys this means you too!
All that meat you eat?
Or those fashion football/rugby boots/shoes/belts/trousers/jackets/fancy sports-car seats? Ever been to a slaughterhouse or an 'organic farm'?
Ever seen a cute animal (baby or otherwise) electrocuted and get it's throat slashed and die for food or clothes or fashion or petfood??
And you all despise these men for 'just because of the way it's done' eh?
Yeah right.
I bet you don't wear fur for the same reason either.

[irene, durham 26 Mar 2008 22:26:10]

It's sickening to see pictures of these poor seal pups clubbed to death.

They are just defenceless babies. It is time this barbaric killing was stopped.

[Leona, Dublin 26 Mar 2008 20:15:51]

Culture and tradition are essential for countries in order to maintain identity in such a modern world. However, this should not be an excuse for smashing the heads in of young indigineous animals. If this method of killing is acceptable, then why bother use veterinary euthanasia for other animals?

[Kari 26 Mar 2008 19:07:08]

Seals have been around for years and so have fish. It is not the seals who are responsible for low fish stocks, it is man.

The seals are killed for their fur, no other reason. The way they are killed is barbaric.

find it unbelievable that the Canadians are allowed to get away with this. I think anyone who can should form a human shield around the seals in order to prevent this from happening/taking place. These animals are killed anything but humanely, they are beaten to death and suffer enormously.

[Kevin O'Hare 26 Mar 2008 18:40:50]

Just to add my voice against this slaughter that will be taking place.

A comment made earlier regarding this: it is not a hunt, but a barbaric slaughter of three-week-old seal pups just turning off "white coats" (I used to work in seal rehab, RE the Irish Seal Sanctuary).

Regarding cod fish stock arguments: scientific experiments (within the Irish Sea and areas ie Scotland) carried out over the years have proven that active culls, preventive culls and on site culls, have not brought back one single fish.

Warmer sea waters are bringing southern plankton (which is smaller prey for our cod stocks) into colder waters, over fishing, predatory fish stock like Pollock which feed off codlings, fishing quotes system not allowing by-catch to be brought ashore are only some of the reasons for failing fish stocks. All are human based in one form or another.

Regarding all other very important issues like China and Tibet, if you care for defenceless animals, your heart can care for all. (I personally won't be watching the Olympics).

To the Canadian Government and its people, I ask you to heed these words:

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man"
-- Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)

[Andy Purple 26 Mar 2008 17:30:58]

It's time these people moved on and stopped using monetary value as an excuse. Many acts of cruelty the world over have been eradicated (slave trade, fox hunting, cosmetic testing on animals and hundreds more). It is time this was added to the list.

[mandy byrne kildare 26 Mar 2008 15:35:26]

Why are all these people calling this barbaric act a hunt?

These poor defenceless creatures are not hunted. They can hardly move and are clubbed to death.

For all those 'civilised people' who say it's no different to piglets, lambs and calves being slaughtered, the difference is vast. These animals are killed humanely.

I think if people started walking into fields and clubbing lambs, calves or piglets to death, we would feel the same way as we do about these beautiful seals.

Rubbish about the fishstocks. It is for monetary gain and that's it.

These "hunters" are sick and twisted. Who cares if it's in their blood? if a murderer claims his father was a murderer and it was "in his blood", does it excuse him?

I'm no tree hugger either. I run my own business.

[Bernadette, Clitheroe, Lancs 26 Mar 2008 14:21:52]

It makes me feel sick when I see a life taken so brutally.

If they have to kill the seals, do it humanely. Please let's stop this.

[Rob, UK 26 Mar 2008 12:13:43]

It's horrific what these sick Canadians are doing? How can a western nation get away with murder of innocent creatures like this? At least their neighbours (the US) don’t commit acts of slaughter on animals.

[Gerard Rochford 26 Mar 2008 09:51:32]

re:seal hunt hypocrisy
..........
LAMBS.

By summer
they are butcher-plump.

Joie-de-vivre?

Juicy with mint
on a Sunday.

Bless.

[Alun Williams 26 Mar 2008 09:32:57]

Would you please stop referring to the "seal hunt" in Canada. A hunt is where a fully mature wild animal is hunted in its natural habitat and it has a better than average chance of fleeing from the hunter. This is NOT a hunt, it is a cull and there is a world of difference.

[Stephanie Hurman 26 Mar 2008 09:31:26]

I believe that even though the Sky News coverage has reported 'both sides of the story', it is far from comprehensive.

Has any report included what primary food source feeds harp seals? Will British people feel like ordering cod and chips in the future? Good luck to them when seal populations are left unchecked without an annual hunt... After the initial ban by popular demand, the seal population was left to grow unchecked and cod stocks (already over fished) declined to non-existence.

Couple this with photos of the white coats as your primary backdrop-even though these youngest are not hunted-and you get emotional responses from an uninformed public. Shame on you.

Show little baby lambs before the slaughter. Show calves, pigs, ducks, geese, whatever-they too are cute to some people. No one who tucks into a lamb chop for dinner can possibly object to an annual cull of a buoyant population of an economically important resource.

[Thomas 26 Mar 2008 09:29:53]

Nothing I say or do will stop this awful senseless murder but I object to having to watch as these vile people carry out their act.

How dare Sky News believe they have the right to show these innocent seal pups whose only crime is to be born with the most beautiful fur being slaughtered on mass.

We have no excuse for this murder - I do not eat red meat but I do not lecture to those who do. But please show compassion for those of us who do not wear fur and will never ever want to watch this horrific practice of mass murder to keep some rich man's wife warm.

[CJ, Leeds 25 Mar 2008 21:38:45]

I wrote this 20 odd years ago. I wanted to publish it - no one wanted to.

AN EXPENSIVE FUR
Look at their faces,
Big saddened eyes.
The fear and the panic,
You can hear them,
From miles around:
One more helpless creature,
Clubbed to the ground.

Innocent victim,
Not to know why:
Watching their families
waiting to die.
The blood and the guts,
To satisfy your lusts.
The greed of man,
A greed they should ban.

They suffer they whine,
It's an unlawful killing.
An act of a coward,
To watch their blood spilling.
A defenceless animal
Beaten delirious.
We ignore it,do nothing,
My god this is serious.

One down,a few more to go,
One down,a hundred to go.
Squealing and squirming:
Give it another,
Go on another hard blow.
Nothing is said-
"Another baby"
It's dead????

[Kim, Scotland 25 Mar 2008 18:22:36]

Why does the Canadian government allow this to happen?

It's barbaric and should be stopped. What right do these humans have to take the lives of innocent babies? It is sick. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to do such a horrific thing to baby animals, this should have been stopped long ago, ban the killings NOW.

[Rosie, Bedfordshire 25 Mar 2008 18:07:11]

Absolutely disgusting!! Animals have no voice and we need to be it for them.

The hunters and anybody else involved in this barbaric act should have exactly the same done to them and see how they like it. As for the first post, all I can say is if it does not interest you, then don't read about it. Things that you find important may not be as important to other people. If you can watch this video and not feel any sympathy and sickness at what you see then you cannot have a heart. It's just another case of humans (if you can call them that!) destroying nature for their own selfish needs.
I hope to god there is an end to this soon.

[Greg Parkhouse, Melrose 25 Mar 2008 15:18:03]

Is it just another poor news day or do you have a news team that are Vegan tree huggers? I get absolutely fed up every year when this happens that it makes news headlines. Surely there are more important things going on in the world or are you just after a sympathy vote?

[shelby leeds 25 Mar 2008 15:04:20]

The people who kill the seals should be stabbed and have their necks slashed with a glass bottle and be given to pigs to eat .

[Frank Williams, Looe, Cornwall 25 Mar 2008 14:57:33]

I was a fisherman on the south westcoast of England for many years. Seals grow up and can be very destructive - they chew holes in fish farm nets, fishing nets and marker buoys, eating in to already minimal profit margins.

Their populations needs to be controlled. People need to wise up. Lambs and calves are cute too but they get killed, often by what seems barbaric means. This is the real world, people are still buying the skins so banning them will be a fruitless enterprise, as they will just be traded illegally.

[Steve, Bexleyheath 25 Mar 2008 14:34:14]

After watching your news item on Sealing in Canada my opinion has been changed. I now have no objections.

Thank you Sky News for allowing and conducting such a good detailed interview. Well done.

[Sue B , Sheffield UK 25 Mar 2008 14:11:57]

BARBARIC! nothing more, nothing less.

And..while we are on the subject of the amount of fish in the seas, isn't it a known fact that we as human beings have been too greedy with nature's resources (as usual) and over fished.

The seals have a right to their food chain and survive without having their brains bashed in while still in their infancy. Nature will sort out the unhealthy cubs from the strong ones and do its own natural cull, that's life!

The killing, or rather slaughter, is purely for monetary gain, as usual. You cannot tell me that in this day and age, that seal fur cannot be replicated synthetically.

It makes you ashamed to call yourself civilised, because there is nothing civilised about this.

[Christopher McMillan, Glasgow 25 Mar 2008 11:35:29]

Seals eat way too much fish and would quickly empty the sea and then over populate. Maybe the killing method should be updated away from the use of the "Hakapic" but, the seal hunt must go on and should not be suffering boycotts from Brussels where the only wild animals are pigeons.

[Daphne Birkby, Alton 25 Mar 2008 10:18:33]

How can this be called a seal hunt, when these defenceless babies are sitting targets that can barely move.
It's just a cowardly massacre and for what, a few miserable pounds. Shame on them.

[Trevor May, Hastings 25 Mar 2008 09:46:39]

Perhaps I can guide you to the website of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society who, as we type, heading North from Australia, after successfully stopping a large amount whales being illegally slaughtered in the Antarctic Ocean, by equally bloodthirsty Japanese whalers. They have already been warned by Canada to stay away but having celebrities and other well meaning people and groups taking photographs thinking that the outrage will stop the blood crazed hunters being backed up by weak livered politicians, the Sea Shepherd crew will go in and help stop the slaughter with action.

It is good that Sky News is taking the story for once but if you really think that politicians and business groups are going to care enough to stop slaughtering innocent living creatures in "traditional" ways causing untold pain and anguish to make money then you will be disappointed.