RSVP to help seals on March 15thA few weeks ago, I went with the ProtectSeals team
to Nova Scotia to bear witness to the slaughter of baby grey seals on Hay
Island. But instead of filming a massacre, our trip ended up being an
opportunity to celebrate the lives of these amazing animals in this stunning
nature reserve.
Take action on March 15th to ensure these seals -- and the thousands of baby harp
seals who are slated to be killed in March and April -- are protected
forever!

The Canadian government officially opened the grey seal kill on February
8th. While the hunt did not immediately start, the sealers claimed they had
buyers for the seal skins and were ready to depart for the island any day.

But the days went by, and the slaughter didn't start. The waiting was agony
-- we had witnessed the slaughter on Hay Island in 2008 and we knew what was
to come. Back then, sealers arrived in this pristine paradise with their
clubs and knives, and butchered the pups in a frenzied bloodbath I can never
erase from my mind.

This year, as the days of waiting stretched into weeks, we began to hope
that the grey seals might be allowed to live. Just last week, the sealers
confirmed to media that complications with selling the seal products meant
the kill would likely not proceed this year.

For now, we take comfort in the fact that so many of the grey seal pups have
already left their nursery on Hay Island and escaped the hunters. But until
the grey seal hunt officially closes on March 15th, we will not rest.

TAKE ACTION
March 15th -- also the International Day of Action for seals -- will truly
be a day to celebrate our victories, but also to take action to stop this
cruelty forever. On that day, we are asking Canadians to participate in our
first Lobby Day for Seals. As a Canadian citizen, you can help compel the
federal government to end the commercial seal slaughter forever.
Please sign up to participate in this crucial lobby day for seals!

Thank you for helping us keep up the fight for seals.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Aldworth
Executive Director
Humane Society International/Canada